China announced on Monday the discovery of a substantial crude oil reserve in the northeastern region of the South China Sea, estimated to hold around 100 million tons. The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) released the statement confirming the find.
The reserve is located in the “Huicou 19-6” oil field, situated roughly 170 kilometers from Guangdong province, in southern China. The depth of the waters surrounding the field averages 100 meters.
According to CNOOC, early test drilling at the site has yielded promising results, with an output of 413 barrels of oil and 68,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day.
The company emphasized that this newly discovered field is not in a disputed area of the South China Sea. It confirmed that the oil field lies entirely within Chinaβs Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends up to 370 kilometers (200 nautical miles) from its coast.
