State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) discovered natural gas reserves at a well in Miaoli County estimated to have a production capacity of at least 1 billion cubic meters, the refiner announced yesterday.
CPC said in a statement that the latest gas discovery at the Chuhuangkeng (出磺坑) No. 145 well in Gongguan Township (公館) in Miaoli County was yet another major onshore discovery following previous discoveries at natural gas wells in Guantian Township (官田), Tainan County, in 2004.
The refiner started drilling for oil and natural gas at the Chuhuangkeng No. 145 well on Aug. 2 last year.
It stopped drilling on May 1 this year after reaching a depth of 3,800m, where it found new oil-gas layers, CPC said in the statement.
According to the company’s data, Taiwan has been drilling for coal, oil and natural gas at Chuhuangkeng for more than 100 years, and the latest discoveries have rekindled CPC’s faith in exploration work at other onshore mines, even though most natural sources are being depleted onshore.
“The successful drilling at the Chuhuangkeng No. 145 well has further strengthened the company’s confidence in future oil and gas exploration in areas that have similar geographic structures of oil and gas storage,” the company said in the statement.
The company said it planned to drill two to three new wells at the Chuhuangkeng area and expected that these wells could start producing gas at the end of next year with a daily output of 50,000m³ and an expected life span of 20 years.
CPC is already cooperating with Australia, Chad, Indonesia, Libya and the US in oil and gas exploration.
Last month, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC, 中國石油天然氣集團) on cross-strait oil and gas exchanges and cooperation in offshore exploration and development.
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