China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has announced that plans are underway to resume production at the Lingxui Gas Field 17-2 in the South China Sea in the fourth quarter of 2026. This gas field, which had its operations halted due to an incident earlier this year, is now on the path to resuming production.
Details of the Lingxui Gas Field 17-2
The Lingxui Gas Field 17-2, also known as "Deep Sea Number One," is the first major gas project in deep waters that is fully owned and managed by CNOOC. The annual production capacity of this field will reach 4.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas in two phases of development. It is located approximately 150 kilometers south of Hainan Province and at an average water depth of 1500 meters.
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The gas produced from this field will be used to meet the needs of southern China and Hong Kong. Following the commencement of operations in June 2021, it is expected that the resumption of production will strengthen China's natural gas supply. In recent years, China has particularly focused on developing domestic energy resources and increasing gas production from offshore fields.
Impact of the Incident on Field Operations
CNOOC has not provided specific details about the incident that led to the halt in production at the Lingxui 17-2 field. However, it has been stated that this stoppage will have a limited impact on the company's overall oil and gas production. Previously, the specialized publication Energy Intelligence reported a fire and explosion during the second phase development project, which led to the cessation of operational activities.
The return of production from the Lingxui Gas Field 17-2 could help strengthen China's natural gas supply capacity. Given that Beijing is looking to increase gas production from offshore fields, this move could align with the Chinese government's developmental energy goals.
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