Increased drilling know-how and technology adoption is helping to build momentum at CNOOC Limited, including advanced tools for oil well intervention.
Most recently, the company announced the start of production from its Weizhou 11-4 Oilfield Adjustment and Satellite Fields Development Project in the Beibu Gulf Basin of the South China Sea, its latest completion.
Presenting its 2025 interim results, back in August, CNOOC flagged how it remained committed to innovation-driven growth, utilising digital and intelligent tools in its upstream work.
Net production increased by 6.1% year-on-year, while natural gas was up 12% in the same period, a reflection of its prowess in the field.
Key technologies for reserves and production growth were developed and applied, the company noted in a statement, while reserve utilisation and oil recovery rates continued to improve, and natural decline rates of oilfields offshore China remained at a low level.
“Intelligent injection-production technologies were deployed on a large scale to help control the natural decline rate,” the company added.
Advanced geophysical technologies were also applied to improve the quality of seismic data from deep plays.
CNOOC added that it promoted intelligent drilling and completion, with the construction speed of demonstration projects accelerating by 26%.
It also integrated satellite remote sensing, unmanned equipment, and AI algorithms, to enhance its emergency response capability against typhoon-related risks, laying solid foundation for safe production.
Its latest Weizhou 11-4 development, located in water depths of 43 metres, leverages various adjacent existing facilities.
The main production facilities include a newly-built unmanned wellhead platform and a central processing platform, connected to an existing platform through a trestle bridge.
Under the development plan, 35 development wells are set to be commissioned, including 28 production wells and seven water injection wells.
The project is expected to achieve a plateau production of approximately 16,900 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2026.
