CNOOC Limited announced on Monday that the Wenchang 9-7 Oilfield Development Project, located in the western Pearl River Mouth Basin, has commenced production.

The main production facility is a new drilling and production platform, which leverages the adjacent existing facilities for development. A total of 25 development wells are planned to be commissioned, including 18 production wells and 7 gas injection wells.

The project is expected to achieve a plateau production of approximately 12,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2027. The oil property is light crude, it said.

Wenchang 9-7 Oilfield Development Project is the first offshore low permeability oilfield that utilizes miscible gas flooding. The technology solves the problem of low permeability reservoir development and significantly enhances oil recovery.

In addition, Wenchang 9-7 Oilfield is equipped with the world's first 5MW offshore high-temperature flue gas ORC power generation unit, which is expected to generate up to 40 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and thus reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 33,000 tons per year, it said.

CNOOC holds 100 percent interest in the project and is the operator.