Depth record set with oil well in Xinjiang

Oil workers in Taklamakan, China's largest desert, complete a remarkable feat by drilling to a depth of 9,396 meters on March 9, 2023, setting a record for the deepest drilling in Asia. [Photo/for chinadaily.com.cn]

Oil workers in Taklamakan, China's largest desert, completed a remarkable feat by drilling to a depth of 9,396 meters on Thursday, setting a record for the deepest drilling in Asia.

The accomplishment also marks a major milestone for the Tarim Oilfield, which has entered a new phase of ultra-deep oil and gas exploration and development at the 9,000-meter level. The oilfield now has the potential to go even deeper, leading the way for further advancements in oil and gas exploration technology in China.

The well, named Gole 3C, is located in a desolate desert area of Shaya county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The geological structure is complex, with oil reserves buried at depths generally exceeding 8,000 meters, making geological and reservoir identification extremely difficult.

The Gole 3C well employs a horizontal drilling technique, which involves directing the drill bit horizontally after reaching a depth of about 8,000 meters to precisely penetrate the underground oil and gas reservoir. Zhou Bo, vice-director of the Oil and Gas Engineering Research Institute of Tarim Oilfield, acknowledged that this represents a significant challenge to drilling technology and domestic manufacturing processes. The exploration and development difficulty are rare.

In recent years, the Tarim Oilfield has made significant breakthroughs in ultra-deep exploration, becoming one of the important strategic areas for increasing production capabilities in China's petroleum industry. In particular, the average depth of an oil well last year exceeded 7,000 meters for the first time, and the Tarim Oilfield is now pushing further to obtain more oil and gas from the depths of the earth.

Currently, the Tarim Oilfield has successfully drilled 72 wells at depths of over 8,000 meters and more than 1,600 wells over 6,000 meters deep, accounting for more than 80 percent of the country's ultra deep wells.

File photo (Xinhua/Li Xiang)