Sinopec, China’s biggest supplier of petrochemical products, has developed new technologies to allow its drilling rigs to reach unparalleled depths in order to extract oil and gas. This new ability has made China one of a select few nations capable of drilling wells that are up to 10,000 meters deep. The most recent example of this progress is located at the edge of the Taklimakan Desert, which is expected to measure 9,472 meters when complete, surpassing the height of Mount Qomolangma by 620 meters. This mammoth feat of engineering stands tall at the physical landmark of a state-of-the-art drilling rig weighing nearly 500 tonnes—the equivalent of 20 stories in height and capable of withstanding up to 600 tonnes, or 120 adult elephants.

 

Taklimakan Desert

Taklimakan Desert

Sinopec, the biggest oil refiner by volume globally, has begun drilling the 3-3XC well of the Shendi-1 project located in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, according to the organization’s announcement.

The well is to be 9,472 meters deep- 600 meters deeper than what Mount Qomolangma would be if it were to be turned upside down and put underground- which will establish a new record for an oil and gas well in Asia.

The 3-3XC well is situated at the edge of the Taklimakan Desert in the Shaya County of Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang.

Generally, a deep well is between 4,500 and 6,000 meters deep. Super-deep wells range from 6,000 to 9,000 meters, and ultra-deep wells are deeper than 9,000 meters.

Sinopec has drilled a total of 49 oil and gas wells, each with a vertical depth of over 8,000 meters, at the “Shendi No.1 Shunbei Oil and Gas Field Base.”

 

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