China’s pioneering offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) project has surpassed 10 million cubic meters of stored CO2, marking a major step in the country’s green energy transition. The initiative, led by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), is equivalent to planting 2.2 million trees and underscores China’s growing expertise in carbon sequestration technologies.
Located at the Enping 15-1 platform in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, roughly 200 kilometers southwest of Shenzhen, the project has operated safely for over 15,000 hours, achieving a peak daily injection volume of 210,000 cubic meters. By storing CO2 in geological formations beneath the seabed, the project avoids emissions that would otherwise result from traditional oil extraction methods.
Xu Xiaohu, vice president of CNOOC’s Enping operating company, highlighted the dual benefits: "This model balances ecological protection with energy development, offering a replicable pathway for low-carbon offshore oilfield operations." Advanced systems, including layered injection and precision control, ensure CO2 is securely directed into narrow wellbores, enhancing both oil recovery and storage safety.
Over the next decade, the project is projected to inject over 550 million cubic meters of CO2 while boosting crude oil output by 200,000 tonnes. Analysts say the breakthrough provides critical data for scaling CCS technology, aligning with China’s dual carbon goals of peaking emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.
