Sinopec, a Chinese company, has a major reserve of ultra-deep shale gases.

Sinopec, the Chinese oil major, said it has?booked large?proven?reserves of gas in its ultra-deep Ziyang Dongfeng?shale gas?field.

The company said it has received official approval of proven geological resources of 235.687 billion cubic meters (8.323 trillion cubic feet) at the Ziyang Dongfeng Field, which is located more than 4,500 meters deep (14,764 ft).

Sinopec claimed that it used "artificial intelligence combined with geophysical imaging" to identify the reservoir.

In a Wednesday statement, Liu Wei, director of Sinopec Southwest Petroleum Bureau said: "This?validates formation's vast capacity and gives us a replicateable technical pathway to extend China's shale-gas development frontier."

The company has not stated when it hopes to begin producing gas from the?field.

Fuling was Sinopec's first major shale-gas field to be brought into production in 2017.

The company has also confirmed that between 2018 and '2025 it will have several deep shale fields with reserves exceeding 100 billion cubic meters, including Weirong Qijiang Yongchuan Hongxing. (Reporting and editing by Lewis Jackson, Sam Li)

(source: Reuters)