China Bets on Ultra-Deep Shale Gas to Boost Energy Security

China Bets on Ultra-Deep Shale Gas to Boost Energy Security

China’s state-owned oil and gas major and top refiner Sinopec is ramping up exploration in the shale formations of the Sichuan basin with a view to increasing the country’s shale gas production by a third over the next ten years. Currently, China’s shale gas total is below government targets, Reuters noted in a report on the news, adding shale gas represents only a tenth of China’s total natural gas production. Beijing has a shale gas output tar…

China taps ultra-deep Sichuan shale in push to boost gas output

SINGAPORE — China is expanding gas drilling into deeper, more ancient shale formations in the Sichuan basin that could potentially lift domestic output of the unconventional fuel by more than a third by 2035, according to a Sinopec expert and industry consultants.With shale gas output lagging government targets and making up just 10 per cent of China's gas production, state...

Why China’s Belt and Road oil-and-gas boom is different this time

In 2025, China’s engagement in countries signed up to the Belt and Road reached its highest level since the initiative’s launch, driven by a sharp uptick in oil and gas deals. Energy engagement, including both investment and construction contracts, reached USD 93.9 billion last year – more than double that of 2024, according to a report by the Green Finance and Development Center. Oil and gas alone accounted for roughly USD 71.5 billion of the t…