On July 22, 2025, China National Offshore Oil Corporation announced that the first phase of the Kenli 10-2 oilfield group development project located in the Bohai Sea area of China was officially put into operation. This marks the entry of China's largest offshore shallow lithology oilfield into the production stage.

The Kenli 10-2 oilfield is located in the southern part of the Bohai Sea in China, with an average depth of about 20 meters and a proven geological reserve of over 100 million tons. It is the first 100 million ton lithological oilfield discovered in the shallow layers of the Bohai Bay Basin depression. The project will be developed in two phases. The first phase of the project is planned to produce 79 development wells, with an expected peak daily oil and gas equivalent of about 3000 tons.

Technological breakthroughs and innovations

As the first branch shaped heavy oil reservoir developed offshore in China, this oilfield has the characteristics of "scattered, narrow, thin, and mixed" reserve distribution. Cai Hui, Chief Reservoir Engineer of Bohai Petroleum Research Institute of China National Offshore Oil Corporation Tianjin Branch, stated that the project team has innovatively formed a complex heavy oil reservoir development technology system, achieving precise injection of high-temperature steam into the formation to drive crude oil recovery.

Development mode and facilities

The project adopts a joint development method of "conventional water injection+steam throttling+steam flooding". The central processing platform is equipped with two sets of systems for conventional cold recovery and heavy oil thermal recovery, and is equipped with more than 240 sets of key equipment. It has become one of the most complex production platforms in the Bohai Sea area and the first large-scale heavy oil thermal recovery platform in the southern Bohai Sea.

Engineering breakthroughs and benefits

Yan Hongtao, Deputy General Manager of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, pointed out that the successful production of the project marks a new stage in the development of complex heavy oil reservoirs in China's offshore areas. The large-scale application of self-developed high-temperature electric submersible pump injection production integration technology has significantly improved production efficiency and will effectively promote the achievement of the annual production target of 40 million tons in Bohai Oilfield.

The development of the Kenli 10-2 oilfield not only demonstrates China's technological strength in offshore oil and gas exploration and development, but also provides valuable experience for the development of similar complex oil reservoirs. The successful implementation of this project is of great significance for ensuring China's energy security and promoting the high-quality development of the offshore oil industry. (This article is from the official website www.seetao.com of Jian Dao. Reproduction without permission is prohibited, otherwise it will be prosecuted. Please indicate Jian Dao website+original link when reprinting.) Jian Dao website infrastructure engineering column editor/Yang Beihua