Construction of the second phase of the Shenhai Yihao ultra-deepsea gas field project started on Dec 30, 2022, marking a further step in China's deepsea oil and gas development.
Shenhai Yihao is the country's first independently-explored and developed ultra-deepsea gas field. Its first phase was put into production on June 25, 2021, and with a maximum well depth of more than 4,000 meters, has produced more than 3 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
The second phase project will be developed at the Lingshui 25-1 deepsea area, which is about 70 kilometers from the Shenhai Yihao energy station.
A view of a production facility in the Shenhai Yihao ultra-deepsea gas field [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
A total of 12 subsea wells are planned to be developed in the area, which is expected to increase the natural gas reserve of Shenhai Yihao from 100 billion cubic meters to 150 billion cubic meters and improve the peak annual production to 4.5 billion cubic meters, enough to meet 90 percent of the natural gas demands of South China's Hainan Province in 2021.
The project is also China's first deepwater high-pressure project with a water depth of nearly 1,000 meters and the formation pressure of 69 MPa while under high temperatures of 138 degrees Celsius.
Located between the Shenhai Yihao Energy Station and Yacheng 13-1 production platform, the second phase project will be developed in an innovative engineering mode. Its subsea production system will be remotely controlled by the energy station and a jacket will be built next to the Yacheng platform to handle the natural gas developed in the second phase project.
The natural gas will be finally sent to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Hainan Free Trade Port through subsea pipelines.
China National Offshore Oil Corporation is responsible for development and operation of the project.
(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)
