Exploration and development of large gas fields in China since 2000

Fifty-one large gas fields had been proved in China until 2013. Specifically, exploration characteristics of those discovered since 2000 are as follows: (1) Large gas fields are only found in basins with sedimentary area larger than 10 × 104 km2; (2) Large gas fields have been proved in 9 basins, with total proved reserves of 27085.88 × 108 m3 before 2005, much less than that after 2005, which reached 81683.77 × 108 m3 by the end of 2013; (3) The reserve abundance of large gas fields varies a lot. The Kela2 gas field has the largest reserve abundance of 59.05 × 108 m3/km2, which is 86 times that of the smallest reserve abundance, i.e. 0.684 × 108 m3/km2 of the Jingbian gas field; and (4) The reservoirs of large gas fields between 3000 m and 4500 m share a large proportion of proved reserves, accounting for 46.11% of the total. Development characteristics of the large gas fields in China are as follows: (1) The yield of large gas fields is essential to the natural gas industry of China. In 2013, the total yield was 922.72 × 108 m3, accounting for 76.3% of the nation’s total natural gas yield; (2) The yield is dominated by coal-derived gas, which reached 710.13 × 108 m3 in 2013, accounting for 77.0% of the total yield of large gas fields in China; and (3) The yield of key large gas fields (Sulige, Jingbian, Daniudi, Puguang, and Kela2) is fundamental in making China a major gas producer.