(Photo: CGTN)

China reported on Saturday its total output of shale gas in the field of Fuling, southwest of the country has exceeded 20 billion cubic meters, marking the second largest shale gas field in the world next to the US.

According to China's National Energy Administration, the shale gas output is expected to reach 30 billion cubic meters by 2020, and 100 billion cubic meters by 2030, thanks to the improved capacity and drilling techniques. 

China imported technologies from foreign companies in the early development phase. But no geology is ever the same, and blindly copying the technology from countries like the US is not as easy as one thinks.

"By learning from the imported technology and making innovations, we have developed the whole production technology from designing to extraction. We have made breakthroughs in the development of core technology and key equipment," said Guo Zhanfeng, head of the technology center of the Fuling shale gas project under the Sinopec Jianghan Oilfield.

Now China has realized the green and efficient development of shale gas within the depth of 3,500 meters, with independently developed technology. The drilling cycle has been shortened by over 30 percent compared with that during the early development phase, significantly reducing the development cost.

As the world's second largest shale gas field, it transmits clean energy to six provinces and two cities in the country, benefiting thousands of companies.