China completes drilling of Asia’s deepest vertical well achieving a breakthrough.
China National Petroleum Corp announced on Thursday that it has successfully completed drilling Asia’s deepest vertical well, reaching a depth of 10,910 meters in a northwestern desert of China.
Named “Shenditake 1,” the well is a scientific exploration project aimed at more than just oil and gas extraction. It also serves to deepen research on Earth’s geological evolution and deep-Earth studies.
Globally, this vertical well is the second deepest of its kind and has achieved multiple engineering milestones, including the deepest liner cementing, deepest wireline imaging logging, and the fastest onshore drilling surpassing 10,000 meters.
The drilling process began on May 30, 2023, with the first 10,000 meters completed in 279 days. The final 1,000 meters took over 300 days, during which signs of active oil and gas presence were detected.
Wang Chunsheng, a chief expert at the Tarim Oilfield of China National Petroleum Co, highlighted the extreme challenges faced at such depths, including heavy loads, unstable wellbore conditions, drill fatigue, tool failures, and severe formation loss. Despite these hurdles, the well successfully penetrated 12 geological layers in the Tarim Basin, ultimately reaching oil- and gas-rich formations between 10,851 and 10,910 meters.
“This marks the first time in history that oil and gas have been discovered at depths beyond 10,000 meters on land, significantly broadening the scope of ultra-deep resource exploration,” Wang stated.
Shenditake 1 features the world’s first 12,000-meter automated drilling rig, developed by China, which has enabled precise control over ultra-deep drilling. The project set five records, including the deepest core sampling in Asia, fastest land drilling beyond 10,000 meters, and the deepest tail pipe cementing.
Through core samples, rock cuttings, and logging data, researchers have compiled Asia’s first 10,000-meter geological profile, providing valuable insights for deep-Earth research and future oil and gas exploration.
He Jiangchuan, vice president of PetroChina, emphasized that overcoming extreme depth, high temperatures, and high pressure in this project marks a major step forward in both scientific and oil and gas exploration. The achievement aligns with China’s growing expertise in space and deep-sea exploration.
With over 300 wells exceeding 8,000 meters already drilled in the Tarim Basin – accounting for 80% of China’s total – pushing beyond 10,000 meters will further advance geological theories and extraction technologies, setting new standards for ultra-deep oil and gas exploration.
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