Construction of China's first deep-water exploration well for the Lingshui 17-2 gas field in the South China Sea kicked off on Monday, in an effort to ensure the country's energy security and maintain gas field construction in the region, China's largest producer of offshore oil and gas said on Monday.
The country has mastered the semi-submersible production platform design, construction and installation technology suited to the deep and complex region, according to the China National Offshore Oil Corporation.
Over 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas has been discovered at the Lingshui field, later approved by the Ministry of Land and Resources as a large-scale gas field in 2015.
The company's deep-water drilling rig CNOOC 981 discovered Lingshui, the country's first self-support deep-water gas field, in September of 2014.
Located 150 kilometers south of Hainan Island, Lingshui 17-2's average operational depth is 1,450 meters below sea level, according to the CNOOC.