Within the basin in the Taklamakan Desert, there are 120 wells that are deeper than 8,000 metres. Credit: Lukas Holub via Shutterstock.

Chinese energy giant Sinopec has reportedly commenced drilling Asia’s deepest oil well in the Tarim Basin, which is located northwest of Xinjiang.

The drilling of the Yuejin 3-3 well, intended to reach a depth of 9,472m, is considered a significant advancement in the exploration of oil and gas in ultra-deep areas.

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The project, which is part of China’s Deep Earth drilling initiative, launched by Sinopec, is also expected to aid the country in increasing its crude oil production

With more than 60% of the nation’s onshore ultra-deep oil and gas deposits, the Tarim Basin is the most petroliferous basin in the country.

Partly because the basin’s oil and gas reserves are between 6,000 and 10,000m below the surface, it is also one of the most challenging regions to explore in China.

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Russia’s Z-44, one of the deepest oil wells in the world, is almost 12,000m below the surface.

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According to the government-run television network CGTN, Sinopec is using enhanced technologies for drilling to deal with extreme heat and pressure at a depth of more than 9km.

Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Northwestern oil field committee of Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum Engineering Wang Long said: “Through brainstorming and innovation, we have developed state-of-the-art technologies in designing drilling systems, as well as operating and supporting them in deep, complex environment, marking breakthroughs in key technologies. Drilling time has dropped from 280 days three years ago, to as low as 97 days now.”

The Shendi-1 oil project includes the Yuejin 3-3 well. Within the basin in the Taklamakan Desert, there are 120 wells that are deeper than 8,000m. 

Sinopac hopes to complete the drilling within 170 days.