Comparative Analysis of Marine Shale Gas Characteristics Between Southern Sichuan Basin and the United States: Implications for Advancing “China’s Shale Gas Revolution”

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1672-7703.2025.05.003

Abstract

Abstract: After over a decade of persistent exploration, China’s shale gas sector has achieved preliminary technological iteration and sustained production growth. However, realizing large-scale commercially viable development remains constrained by scientific and technological bottlenecks. To advance economically efficient extraction and achieve the ‘Chinese Shale Gas Revolution,’ this study clarifies China’s strategic development pathway through comparative analysis of geological characteristics and extraction methodologies between the southern Sichuan Basin and U.S. shale plays. Key findings indicate: ① Sichuan’s shale reservoirs, shaped by multi-phase tectonic events, exhibit heightened structural complexity, significant stress variations, and strong reservoir heterogeneity. Despite superior organic richness (TOC avg. 4.8%) and maturity (R_o >2.5%), critical parameters including porosity (<6%), permeability, and reserves per well trail U.S. benchmarks by 30-50%, constituting inherent constraints to commercial-scale development. ② While U.S. “horizontal drilling + volumetric fracturing” systems offer valuable references, direct replication is infeasible. China must overcome technical barriers in sweet-spot delineation (targeting <5m accuracy),extended-reach lateral drilling (>3500m), and high-efficiency fracturing to establish a geology-adapted technical framework. ③ The U.S. revolution succeeded through project-based management and day-rate contracting, enabling rapid iteration amid high risks. In contrast, China’s fragmented “handover-style” management impedes operational efficiency, necessitating flattened project governance reforms. Recent field practices in Sichuan underscore that the ‘Chinese Shale Gas Revolution’ is imperative for high-quality development. This demands establishing a tailored management system with operational autonomy, pursuing innovation aligned with China’s geological realities, and prioritizing integrated sweet-spot characterization, technological iteration, and 3D reservoir development pilots to drive transformative breakthroughs.

Key words: Geological characteristic, Development approach, China’s shale gas revolution, Technical innovation, Market-oriented management

CLC Number:

TE122

Liu Yong, Zhao Shengxian, Fang Rui, Li Bo, Li Jiajun, Liu Dongchen, Liu Wenping, Nie Zhou, Zhou Luchuan, Zhu Yihui. Comparative Analysis of Marine Shale Gas Characteristics Between Southern Sichuan Basin and the United States: Implications for Advancing “China’s Shale Gas Revolution”[J]. China Petroleum Exploration, 2025, 30(5): 21-37.

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