Six factors constraining shale gas

Of shale gas development challenge is:

First, the geological rules and limited knowledge accumulation model. For shale gas development is still the initial stage of China, the scale of investment in  shale gas  exploration and attention can not be compared with the conventional oil and gas. Contrast the U.S., China's shale formations are marine deposits and paralic deposits and other types, more complex, buried deeper understanding of the industry but also for the shale formations is more limited, it is impossible to copy the successful experience of the United States. But our shale wide distribution area, the potential should be large.

Secondly, drilling and development of technology is limited. Successful development of shale gas in the United States is taken through intensive drilling machine multi-stage  Hydraulic fracturing  technology to achieve.

Although China's coalbed methane in the past, and the development of tight gas accumulated some drilling and fracturing technology, but for shale gas development unique multi-stage fracturing technology is still a lack of experience and lack of talent to master these techniques. With China shale gas development as well as efforts to increase overseas investment by Chinese companies in shale gas projects increased the accumulation of relevant experience, this situation could be improved.

In addition, compared to the United States, China is more a lack of water, while the key to successful development of shale gas technology - hydraulic fracturing, the need to use a lot of water. How to get and effective use of water resources also in the shale gas development on the important issues to be considered.

In addition, the problem of overlapping tenements also somewhat constrained shale gas development. At present, China's unconventional resources still used conventional oil and gas extraction activities management approach, presented by the Ministry of Land and unify the exploration and mining licenses. Preliminary data show that China's shale gas found in conventional oil and gas basins have more overlap, while the conventional oil and gas exploration tenements basic company owned by the state, which will shale gas development to generate more competition in the industry limits.

Shale gas industry policies and regulations is not perfect. Shale gas industry in China is an emerging industry, to promote healthy, sustainable development, the government needs to introduce some preferential policies and environmental policies, such as financial subsidies, tax incentives to encourage shale gas development, and environmental protection should also be the introduction of appropriate restrictions.

Shale gas development in the initial stage, the domestic capital investment is not enough, investors are also more single. Comparing conventional oil and gas and coal bed methane, shale gas development areas and less foreign investment, and only a few international oil companies such as Shell, Exxon Mobil and other oil companies in China to conduct joint research and collaborative exploration.

Pipeline construction has just begun. China has built some of the natural gas transportation trunk, but in  unconventional gas  distribution area is very limited, the lack of a branch pipe network, and these lines are concentrated mostly operated and managed by the national oil company, is not conducive to the effective use of shale gas resources . U.S. natural gas pipeline total length of more than 500,000 kilometers, across the state, by an independent pipeline company operations, the gathering pipelines and upstream development organic complexes. And China's natural gas pipeline total length of only one-tenth of the United States.

American "shale gas revolution" success, thanks to long-term energy strategy planning. In China, shale gas is still in its infancy, is not expected in the short term to get a huge commercial breakthrough. But in recent years the domestic shale gas has also made some progress, such as has been developed at the national level from 2011 to 2015 shale gas development planning, investigation and assessment of shale gas resources, science and technology research, exploration and development to provide a useful guide.

In scientific research, in 2010, the National Energy shale gas development (experimental) center has been settled in China Langfang Branch, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, which is China's first specialized in the development of shale gas research institutions. Recently, the NDRC Energy Bureau also said that we must actively promote the field of shale gas exploration and development investment diversification, the development of industry access standards, to encourage qualified capital investment in shale gas development in various areas of shale gas development in terms of This should be a positive signal.

Although the development of shale gas there is a big gap with the United States, is also facing many challenges, but thanks to better resource conditions, the importance of state and government, oil companies actively participate in international cooperation to obtain Experience, etc. We have reason to look forward to good prospects for shale gas development.