On December 21, China’s largest offshore oilfield, the Bohai Oilfield, set a new record by producing over 40 million metric tons of oil equivalent in 2025, according to its operator China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).
This accomplishment is the result of a seven-year plan to increase reserve and boost production, highlighting the Bohai Oilfield’s 60 year legacy as a cornerstone of China’s offshore oil industry.
The record production is expected to strengthen national energy security and help transform China into an energy powerhouse.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), the Bohai Oilfield has witnessed significant annual increase in its oil and gas production, establishing itself as China’s largest crude oil production base and the second largest oil and gas field.
Its growing crude oil output accounted for nearly 40 percent of the national growth, making the oilfield a crucial pillar for accelerating oil and gas storage and production.
Since operation began in 1965, the Bohai Oilfield has yielded 600 million tons of crude oil.
However, the oilfield faced various challenges such as maintaining stable production, technological bottlenecks and production volume limit.
In recent years, the Bohai Oilfield has facilitated the establishment and operation of new oilfields and simultaneously optimized existing ones, overcoming extraction obstacles like high water content through technological innovation, advancing digital intelligence transformation and committing to green, low-carbon development.
In 2025, the Bohai Oilfield upgraded deep-sea drilling and completion technology, improving engineering standards and facilitating major projects like the Kenli 10-2 oilfield.
It also conducted further research to tap into current reservoir and remaining oil, stabilizing annual production in older oilfields with more than 3.2 million tons of crude oil.
The Bohai Oilfield has established a comprehensive system for oil and gas exploration, extraction and production. Newly discovered reservoirs will support subsequent development, and with advanced technology to boost and stabilize production, it is expected to further contribute to the country’s large-scale and effective usage of oil and gas resources.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
