China’s top offshore crude oil and natural gas producer, CNOOC, on Wednesday announced the launch of full production from phase one development of the Kenli 10-2 oilfield in the south Bohai Sea.
The Kenli 10-2 oilfield cluster is China’s largest offshore shallow-layer lithological oilfield and will be developed in phases. Phase One now yields more than 20,500 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil after full production started.
The phase one development includes a new central processing platform, two unmanned wellhead platforms, and 79 development wells.
Kenli 10-2 is the first Chinese offshore development of a “branch-like” heavy oil reservoir, characterized by scattered, narrow, thin, and complex sand bodies, CNOOC said.
The Chinese state-held major launched production of heavy crude from its Kenli 10-2 Oilfields Development Project in the middle of 2025.
Similarly to all other state majors in China, CNOOC is boosting domestic oil and gas production and exploration per orders by the Chinese authorities who seek to reduce China’s dependence on imported oil and gas.
CNOOC has managed to post record high production in recent years, with an all-time high output in 2024, and another record-high in 2025.
Other Chinese state majors have also raised domestic crude production recently, including from shale fields.
Sinopec, for example, has ramped up output from the Jiyang shale oil base in Shandong province, thanks to 10 new wells placed in production.
The Chinese state oil giant formally known as China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation has also recently opened a major ultra-deep shale gas find after obtaining official government approval for proven geological reserves of 235.687 billion cubic meters in the Ziyang Dongfeng field in the Sichuan province.
Sinopec earlier this month announced that the Ministry of Natural Resources of China approved its reserves validation at the shale gas field, marking the creation of China’s first ultra-deep, 100-billion-cubic-meter-level shale gas field.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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