500 million tons of oil, natural gas found in NW China’s Junggar Basin
Global Times
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Photo taken on Aug. 20, 2018 shows a view of the Bayan Bulag grassland in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Located in northwest China, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region boasts three mountains, namely Tianshan, Kunlun and Altay, and two basins, Junggar and Tarim. Its various landscapes and natural beauties attract tourists from home and abroad. In recent years, Xinjiang has carried out a number of projects, including natural forest protection, returning farmland to forest or grassland, prevention and control of desertification and wildlife protection, to improve local ecological environment. From Sept. 16 to 18, the "Xinjiang Day" event is held at the ongoing Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition to welcome visitors worldwide. (Photo: Xinhua)

Oilfield explorers have confirmed that there are 500 million tons of high-quality light crude oil and natural gas resources in the eastern part of the Junggar Basin in Northwest's China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Xinjiang oilfield explorers have successfully test-engineered the first high-yield industrial oil and gas well in the eastern part of the Junggar Basin. They found that there are 500 million tons of high-quality light crude oil and natural gas resources underground in the eastern part of the Junggar Basin over an area of about 2,000 square meters, CCTV reported.

The Junggar Basin is one of the largest sedimentary basins in Northwest China and contains the third-largest petroleum reservoirs in China. The basin is also rich in coal and ore deposits. In June, a research team found footprints from the largest species of Asianopodus in the basin.

The Junggar Basin has great potential for oil and gas resource exploration, and is an important alternative area for the development of crude oil production and China's petroleum reserves. Oil and gas exploration in the Junggar Basin has been accelerating in recent years. Over 1 billion tons of reserves have been discovered in the Mahu area, with a daily production level of 5,942 tons of crude oil, the Xinhua News Agency reported.