East China Sea Reports an Abundance of Stored Natural Gas

The stored amount of natural gas from East China Sea oil and natural gas fields will reach 200 billion cubic meters by the end of this year, an expert said Thursday.

Jia Jianyi, chief engineer of the Shanghai oceanic petroleum bureau under the China National Petrochemical Corporation, said at the 2000 Shanghai Forum of Sciences and Technology that over the past 20 years, the bureau has discovered eight oil and natural gas fields in the East China Sea area.

According to the expert, the total storage of oil and natural gas in the East China Sea continental shelf will reach five to six trillion cubic meters.

The country's usage rate of natural gas is only two to three percent of the total resources, he said.

The development of natural gas from the ocean floor will promote coastal cities in the east part of China using pollution-free natural gas to replace traditional energy, decrease pollution problems and improve the local environment.



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