8.3 kilometers underground: A new ultra-deep well drilled in China
In China, the drilling of a well reaching a depth of 8,345 meters has been completed on the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert. It is designed to search for oil and gas reserves in the deep layers of the Tarim Basin.
8.3 kilometers underground: A new ultra-deep well has been drilled in China
The Zhantan-1 well is located in Wensu County of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the northwest of the country. Drilling operations were completed on October 2.
This is the second ultra-deep well in China drilled using a drilling rig created entirely on the basis of domestic developments and designed to operate at depths of up to 12,000 meters.
Through the well, large geological structures where oil and gas may accumulate in the deep layers of the Tarim Basin will be studied. The purpose of the research is to identify promising new areas to increase hydrocarbon reserves.
The steel derrick of the drilling rig used has a height of 82 meters. It is equipped with a drilling drawworks — a hoisting mechanism — equivalent to 6,000 horsepower. The rig's hoisting system is capable of lifting loads up to 900 tons.
The intelligent control system serves to automate operations at all stages of drilling.
The creation of this equipment has enabled China to use domestic technologies in drilling wells deeper than 10,000 meters. While the actual depth of the new well is 8,345 meters, the design capacity of the rig reaches up to 12,000 meters.
To date, more than 270 wells with a depth exceeding 8,000 meters have been drilled in the Tarim oil field. This accounts for more than half of such wells in China.
In 2025, the drilling of the Shendike-1 well in this area was also completed. Its depth reached 10,910 meters.