On November 26th, there was exciting news from the Jimsar National Continental Shale Oil Demonstration Zone located at the foot of the East Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang: the cumulative shale oil production in the demonstration zone exceeded 1 million tons in 2024, becoming the first national continental shale oil demonstration zone with an annual output exceeding one million tons. Thanks to technological innovation, the production capacity of this demonstration zone has increased by nearly three times in the past four years, accumulating rich technical and management experience for the scale benefit development of shale oil.

In the outskirts of Jimsar County in early winter, large areas of the ground have been covered with snow, and the lowest temperature has dropped below minus 10 degrees Celsius. At platform 58 in the demonstration zone, shale oil hidden more than 3000 meters underground is flowing out of the ground through oil pipelines.

As an unconventional oil and gas resource, shale oil has the characteristics of low permeability and poor fluidity, making it extremely difficult to extract. Since its approval for construction in 2020, the Jimsar National Continental Shale Oil Demonstration Zone has drilled a total of 306 wells with a production capacity of 2.08 million tons.

Since 2024, the number of shale oil new wells planned to be put into operation by PetroChina Xinjiang Oilfield Company and Tuha Oilfield Company in Jimsar has doubled compared to last year. Among them, Xinjiang Oilfield Company achieved its annual production and construction goals of "drilling 100 wells, fracturing 110 wells, and having a production capacity of one million tons" two months ahead of schedule.

As of November 26th, the annual shale oil production in the demonstration zone has reached 1.011 million tons, surpassing the million ton mark. According to the plan, by 2025, its annual shale oil production will soar to 1.7 million tons.

Chen Yiwei, Secretary of the Party Branch and Deputy Director of the Geological Research Center of Jiqing Oilfield Operation Area of Xinjiang Oilfield Company, introduced that behind this historic breakthrough is the continuous innovation of basic theories and technological processes.

Xinjiang Oilfield Company deepens geological understanding, focuses on technical research, and continuously improves drilling operation efficiency; At the same time, we have successfully overcome the challenge of comprehensive identification of high-quality shale oil reservoirs, increasing the drilling encounter rate of shale oil's "golden target" to 87%; Explore the fracturing mode of "seam matching+precise transformation+global support+carbon dioxide pre positioning" to continuously improve the fracturing efficiency.

Tang Tao, Secretary of the Party Branch and Deputy Director of the Shale Oil Operation and Maintenance Center in the Jiqing Oilfield Operation Area, introduced that the operation area continues to integrate the concept of green development throughout the entire process of oil and gas exploration and development, promote the "multi well cluster, large platform, and integrated well station" development model, optimize well station layout, innovate ground process integration, minimize the occupation of arable land, and form a new model of intelligent oil production with scientific management, intelligent oil production, and green low-carbon.