Tarim Oilfield's natural gas cumulative production exceeds 500 billion cubic meters

Guangming Daily Urumqi, March 4 — (Reporter Zhao Minghao, Huang Xiaoyi, Yao Kun)
According to China National Petroleum Corporation’s Tarim Oilfield, as of March 3, the oilfield’s cumulative natural gas production has surpassed 500 billion cubic meters.

Based on estimates, 500 billion cubic meters of natural gas is equivalent to replacing about 660 million tons of standard coal, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 730 million tons, and the environmental benefits are comparable to planting 2.2 billion hectares of broadleaf forests. These clean energy sources not only make the skies over Southern Xinjiang bluer but also promote the optimization and upgrading of energy and industrial structures in central and eastern China, especially in the Yangtze River Delta region, creating significant social, economic, and ecological benefits.

The Tarim Basin is China’s largest onshore oil and gas basin, and it is also one of the most challenging areas for exploration with the greatest potential for increasing reserves and production.

In 1998, the discovery of China’s then-largest fully equipped gas field — Kela 2 Gas Field — directly contributed to the construction of the West-to-East Gas Transmission Project. The Tarim Oilfield subsequently discovered two trillion-cubic-meter gas zones: Kela-Ke Shen and Bozi-Dabei, and successfully developed 19 large and medium-sized gas fields.

Currently, the natural gas produced by the Tarim Oilfield benefits 15 provinces, regions, and cities along the West-to-East Gas Pipeline, and through the “Gasification of Southern Xinjiang” project, it covers many counties, cities, and farms in Southern Xinjiang, bringing clean energy into thousands of households.

Guangming Daily (March 5, 2026, Page 16)
Source: Guangming Online — Guangming Daily