PetroChina achieves first gas from Chevron-abandoned block in China



PetroChina has achieved first gas at the Tieshanpo sour gas block in southwestern China’s Sichuan basin, which US giant Chevron abandoned in 2019.

The listed arm of China National Petroleum Corporation is keen to tap reserves with a high sulphur content or complex geology to boost gas production as part of its energy transition drive.

Based on the overall development plan, PetroChina has drilled six production wells, which will be able to produce 1.71 million cubic metres per day of gas.

In the long run, PetroChina will add three more production wells at the Tieshanpo sour gas play.

The development also includes one new dehydration station, two gas collection well stations, one handover metering station and an export pipeline extending 17.3 kilometres, PetroChina said.

The two-train gas plant at Wanyuan city is able to treat 4 MMcmd of gas.

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Tieshanpo’s first gas was six months behind the initial schedule as PetroChina was extra cautious with safety measures to prevent possible leaks.

PetroChina has put in place a simultaneous leakage monitoring and emergency support system by using fixed gas detectors and a cloud-mounted laser leakage monitoring system in the gas gathering and transportation facilities; as well as infrasonic leak detection, distributed optical fibre acoustic sensing and distributed optical fibre temperature sensing.

The Tieshanpo sour gas play has a hydrogen sulphide content as high as 14.19%-15.54%.

Tieshanpo is part of the Chuandongbei sour gas complex, which also includes the Dukouhe and Qilibei and Luojiazhai assets.

PetroChina in 2007 brought in Chevron as a partner at the Chuandongbei sour gas project after several incidents highlighted the Chinese company’s need for expertise in handling the high sulphur content gas.

The worst incident was in December 2003, when a blowout resulted in a toxic gas escape at the Luojia 16H well that claimed more than 240 lives.

Chevron has a 49% non-operated interest in the Luojiazhai play, which is already in production. The US supermajor’s net daily production in 2021 averaged 104 million cubic feet of natural gas.

In 2019, Chevron relinquished its interests in the Tienshanpo, Dukouhe and Qilibei natural gas plays.