New oilfields development project switches production mode on

December 22, 2025, by Melisa Cavcic

Chinese state-owned oil and gas giant China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has brought online its oilfields development project in the shallow water of the Pearl River Mouth Basin off the coast of China.

Xijiang Oilfields 24 Block Development Project; Source: CNOOC

CNOOC has started production from the Xijiang Oilfields 24 Block development project, in which it holds 100% interest and acts as the operator. The development mainly leverages the adjacent existing facilities of the Huixi Oilfields, with addition of a new unmanned wellhead platform.

The Chinese giant explains that ten development wells are planned to be commissioned, with the project expected to achieve a plateau production of approximately 18,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2026.

The project’s oil property is light crude. The firm claims that the new Xijiang 24-7 platform is China’s first unmanned offshore platform for high-temperature fluid cooling and export.

According to CNOOC, the temperature control system reduces the impact of high temperatures on subsea pipelines, thereby ensuring stable and continuous production.

This comes days after the Chinese firm begun production at its Weizhou 11-4 oilfield adjustment and satellite fields development project in the Beibu Gulf Basin.