China starts drilling second superdeep borehole

This photo taken on July 20, 2023 shows the drilling site of a superdeep borehole in Jiange County, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yonghang)

CHENGDU, July 20 (Xinhua) -- The drilling of a superdeep borehole began on Thursday in the Sichuan Basin, a major gas production area in southwest China.

It is the second over 10,000-meter-deep borehole that is being drilled in China after drilling of the first one began at the end of May in the Tarim Basin in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

With a designed depth of 10,520 meters, the borehole is located in the northwest of Sichuan Basin. The drilling is operated by the PetroChina Southwest Oil and Gasfield Company. It is expected that a new superdeep natural gas storage area will be discovered after the success of the drilling.

According to Chen Lili, the company's deputy chief engineer, due to the complex underground conditions, the engineers will have to overcome numerous "world-class challenges" during the drilling process.

The drilling will further reveal the secrets of evolution under the Sinian formation. It is of great significance for exploring the superdeep oil and gas resources and promoting the progress of the core technology and equipment capability of China's oil and gas engineering.

A staff member controls the console to drill a superdeep borehole in Jiange County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 20, 2023. (Photo by Chen Juwei/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on July 20, 2023 shows the drilling site of a superdeep borehole in Jiange County, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yonghang)

This aerial photo taken on July 20, 2023 shows the drilling site of a superdeep borehole in Jiange County, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Xiao Yonghang)

This photo taken on July 20, 2023 shows the drilling site of a superdeep borehole in Jiange County, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Photo by Chen Juwei/Xinhua)