China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has commenced production at the Xijiang Oilfields 24 Block development project.

Located in the shallow waters of the Pearl River Mouth Basin in the northern South China Sea, the project uses existing facilities at the nearby Huixi Oilfields.

It also incorporates a newly installed unmanned wellhead platform.

CNOOC plans to commission ten development wells for the project and aims to reach a peak output of about 18,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) in 2026.

The oil produced at the project site is classified as light crude.

CNOOC fully owns the project and serves as the operator.

The company said the Xijiang 24-7 platform, part of the project, is China’s first unmanned offshore platform designed for high-temperature fluid cooling and export.

The platform’s temperature control system is intended to reduce heat impact on subsea pipelines, supporting stable production.

Recently, CNOOC brought the Weizhou 11-4 oilfield adjustment and satellite fields project online in the Beibu Gulf Basin in the South China Sea.

The project is situated in waters with an average depth of 43m and makes use of adjacent infrastructure.

It includes a new unmanned wellhead platform and a central processing platform, which are connected to an existing facility via a trestle bridge.

Additionally, CNOOC has started full operations of the secondary development project at the Liuhua Oilfield, located in the Pearl River Mouth Basin.

Located in the northern South China Sea, Liuhua Oilfield is identified as China’s largest offshore reef limestone oilfield by proven geological reserves.

Since its commissioning in 1996, the Liuhua Oilfield has produced over 20 million tonnes of crude oil and is noted as China’s first deep-water oilfield.