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China Shale >> Overview

China Shale Overview

China has an estimated 1,115 Tcf of risked (technically recoverable) shale gas, mainly in marine- and lacustrine-deposited source rock shales of the Sichuan (626 Tcf), Tarim (216 Tcf),Junggar (36 Tcf), and Songliao (16 Tcf) basins. Additional risked (technically recoverable) shale gas resources totaling 222 Tcf exist in the smaller, structurally more complex Yangtze Platform, Jianghan and Subei basins. The risked shale gas in-place for China is estimated at 4,746 Tcf.

China also has considerable shale oil potential which is geologically less defined. Risked (technically recoverable) shale oil resources in the Junggar, Tarim, and Songliao basins are estimated at 32.2 billion barrels, out of 643 billion barrels of risked, prospective shale oil in place).

Initial drilling confirms China’s shale gas and oil resource potential, but rapid commercialization may be challenging due to the typically complex geologic structure such as faulting and high tectonic stress, as well as restricted access to geologic data, and the high cost and rudimentary state of in-country horizontal drilling and fracturing services.

Source : EIA Shale Gas Assessment