Beijing: Chinese oil company China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) announced on Thursday that it has discovered more than 165 billion cubic meters of shale gas reserves. The discovery was made in a field located at the junction of Hubei province and Chongqing municipality in central China.

According to Anadolu Agency, Sinopec, one of China's three largest oil companies, identified the site of this significant discovery as the Hongxing shale gas field. This finding marks the development of another large-scale shale gas field within the country. The reserves were located at depths ranging from 3,300 to 5,500 meters.

The complex geological structure of the site posed challenges for exploration and development, as noted by the company. Despite these difficulties, technological innovations have enabled the Hongxing shale gas field to increase its single-well test production significantly, reaching 323,500 cubic meters per day from an initial 89,000 cubic meters per day.

Currently, Sinopec has established one major shale gas field with reserves exceeding 1 trillion cubic meters, known as the Fuling shale gas field in Chongqing. Additionally, the company has developed four smaller deep shale gas fields, including the Hongxing field, each with reserves surpassing 100 billion cubic meters.