Estimated Exploitable Resources of Shale Gas Reach 31 Trillion Cubic Meters in China

Estimated Exploitable Resources of Shale Gas Reach 31 Trillion Cubic Meters in China
From: Portals of Ministry of Land and Resources   Source: People’s Daily   Time: February 13, 2012

It is learnt from the National Geological Survey Working Conference concluded on February 12 that China will strengthen the survey and assessment of the unconventional energy resources such as shale gas as well as improve technologies to exploit those resources. Especially, China will strengthen the survey and appraisal of the shale gas, aiming to relieve the shortage of oil and gas in our country. In doing so, we will see a formation of the new pattern in the oil and gas prospecting and exploitation, which will help change the construction of our national prospecting and exploitation and even the entire energy resources. Wang Min, General Director of China Geological Survey and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Land and Resources, said that in 2012, China will strengthen the survey and assessment of the unconventional energy resources such as shale gas, coal bed gas, oil shale, tight sandstone gas, oil sand as well as improve technologies to exploit those resources. Besides, China will promote the special declaration in the survey and appraisal of the shale gas and promote its development by setting the shale gas as the independent mineral resource to survey and appraise so as to promote its development. It is introduced that the shale gas is an independent mineral resource newly granted by the State Council. Lying in the shale with organic mud and between the shale layers, it is an unconventional natural gas in an absorptive and floating way, with methane as the major content. It is clear and efficient energy resource and chemical raw material, mainly used as the domestic gas, auto fuels, and also to supply heat for urban area, to generate power as well as for the chemical production. The production of shale gas needs no discharge of water with long production cycle about 30-50 years. The success rate of the prospecting and exploitation is high with higher industrial and economic values. China is rich in shale gas resources. It is estimated that the resources of shale gas in China are about 31 trillion cubic meters, equal to those of conventional natural gas.     The development of shale gas began in America. The American output of shale gas in 2011 had reached 180 billion cubic meters, greatly changing the consuming structure of energy resources in America. According to the appraisal of all the areas except Tibetan region by the oil and gas center of the Ministry of Land and Resources, the resources of shale gas in China are roughly equal to those in America. It is predicted that in 2020, the output will exceed 100 billion cubic meters, catching up with the current output of the conventional natural gas. In 2030, the output will reach that of the conventional natural gas, nearly the same as America. Trying to realize the scale exploitation of shale gas as soon as possible will help relieve the shortage of gas and oil in China, which in turn will change the construction of our national prospecting and exploitation and even the entire energy resources. (Yu Meng)