China’s gas arsenal grows with another offshore project in production mode

July 29, 2025, by Melisa Cavcic

Chinese state-owned oil and gas giant China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has brought online a gas development project off the coast of China.

Haiji-2 (for illustration purposes); Source: CNOOC

CNOOC has started production from the Dongfang 1-1 gas field 13-3 Block development project, which it describes as the first high-temperature, high-pressure, low-permeability natural gas project offshore China.

Located in the Yinggehai Basin, with an average water depth of approximately 67 meters, the main production facility is portrayed as a new unmanned wellhead platform, which utilizes the existing processing facilities of the Dongfang gas fields for development.

“CNOOC Limited has thereby successfully established an integrated offshore gas production network in the Yinggehai Basin. It will facilitate the stable and reliable supply of natural gas in the region, providing strong support for the economic and social development of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Hainan,” highlighted the firm.

As six development wells are planned to be commissioned, the project is set to achieve a peak production of approximately 35 million cubic feet of natural gas per day in 2026. The Chinese player, which holds 100% interest and acts as the operator, uses existing facilities to connect the Dongfang 1-1 gas field and the Dongfang 13-2 gas field.

The start-up of the project comes shortly after CNOOC boosted its oil and gas reserves with a discovery in the Beibu Gulf, following the beginning of production at its oilfield development project in the South China Sea.