China has just discovered oil in rock layers that no one thought could be explored at the bottom of the South China Sea, and the field with over 100 million tons could change the balance of energy power in Asia.

Written by Douglas Avila

Published on 13/04/2026 at 17:32

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CNOOC announced the discovery of the Huizhou 19-6 field in the South China Sea, with proven reserves exceeding 100 million tons of oil equivalent, 170 km from Shenzhen, in ultra-deep clastic rock layers at 5,415 meters that had never been explored before

On March 31, 2025, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) confirmed a discovery that could reshape the Asian energy map. The Huizhou 19-6 field, located in the eastern South China Sea about 170 km from Shenzhen, contains proven reserves exceeding 100 million tons of oil equivalent. Thus, it is the first large-scale clastic oil field found by China in ultra-deep deep-play layers.

Zhou Xinhuai, CEO of CNOOC, stated: “This is the second consecutive discovery, in two years, of fields with more than 100 million tons in reserves in the eastern South China Sea.” Therefore, China is unlocking a new oil frontier in waters that previously seemed depleted.

The numbers of the Huizhou 19-6 field that surprised geologists

Deepwater drilling operation in the South China Sea for the Huizhou 19-6 field

Reserves: +100 million tons of oil equivalent
Location: ~170 km from Shenzhen, Guangdong
Water depth: 100 meters (average)
Reservoir depth: 5,415 meters (ultra-deep)
Rock type: large-scale integrated clastic (1st of its kind in offshore China)
Production test: 413 barrels of oil + 68 thousand m³ of natural gas per day

Xu Changgui, Chief Geologist of CNOOC, stated: “The discovery confirms the existence of the largest clastic oil field in China, highlighting the high exploration potential of resources in high-temperature and high-pressure basins along the country’s coast.”

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Why finding oil in ultra-deep clastic rock is so difficult

Subsea equipment for ultra-deep drilling of the Huizhou 19-6 field

Ultra-deep clastic layers combine three challenges that make exploration extremely complex: low rock permeability, high temperatures, and elevated pressures. Consequently, few companies in the world have the technical capacity to drill and produce under these conditions. The Huizhou 19-6 field is the first time that China has been able to confirm significant reserves in this type of formation in an offshore environment.

The discovery adds to other recent successes of CNOOC in the eastern South China Sea, including Huizhou 26-6 North, Panyu 10-6, Kaiping 18-1, and Xijiang 24-2. Furthermore, the Kaiping 18-1 field had already been the first discovery of 100 million tons in deep waters in the region.

Chinese energy security and disputes in the South China Sea

Satellite view of the South China Sea with platforms from the Huizhou 19-6 field

The Huizhou 19-6 field is located in China’s Exclusive Economic Zone, outside the areas directly disputed with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and other countries. However, the South China Sea as a whole is one of the most geopolitically tense points on the planet, and any expansion of exploration in the region has strategic implications.

For Chinese energy security, the discovery is significant. China seeks to reduce dependence on oil imports, which may peak in 2026 with a slowdown in transportation demand. Still, the Huizhou 19-6 field does not have a defined timeline for the start of commercial production, and the challenges of low permeability may delay exploration. On the other hand, each field that CNOOC confirms in the eastern South China Sea strengthens the narrative of self-sufficiency that Beijing has pursued for decades.

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China has just discovered oil in rock layers that no one thought could be explored at the bottom of the South China Sea, and the field with over 100 million tons could change the balance of energy power in Asia.

CNOOC announced the discovery of the Huizhou 19-6 field in the South China Sea, with proven reserves exceeding 100 million tons of oil equivalent, 170 km from Shenzhen, in ultra-deep clastic rock layers at 5,415 meters that had never been explored before

The numbers of the Huizhou 19-6 field that surprised geologists

Why finding oil in ultra-deep clastic rock is so difficult

Chinese energy security and disputes in the South China Sea

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China has just discovered oil in rock layers that no one thought could be explored at the bottom of the South China Sea, and the field with over 100 million tons could change the balance of energy power in Asia.

CNOOC announced the discovery of the Huizhou 19-6 field in the South China Sea, with proven reserves exceeding 100 million tons of oil equivalent, 170 km from Shenzhen, in ultra-deep clastic rock layers at 5,415 meters that had never been explored before

The numbers of the Huizhou 19-6 field that surprised geologists

Why finding oil in ultra-deep clastic rock is so difficult

Chinese energy security and disputes in the South China Sea

Scientists enter a narrow, flooded cave 500 meters deep and find giant dinosaur footprints on the ceiling measuring up to 1.25 meters, preserved in such a rare way that a new type of trace had to be created.

A giant half-ton ring fell in Kenya from space, and more than a year later, scientists still do not know where it came from.

In Botswana, a salt flat of up to 16,000 km² that was once an African megalake spends months as an absolute white desert, but during the rainy season it transforms into a shallow sea that reappears from nowhere and can be seen from space in the middle of southern Africa.

After two years of internal discussions, Paraguay has finally regulated the law that opens the country to foreign technology and service companies with tax incentives that promise to create thousands of jobs and change the economy.

Map reveals how the Earth may look in 250 million years: continents will reunite in the Last Pangaea, 92% of the planet could become uninhabitable for mammals, and Spain appears among the rare possible exceptions.

About 6,000 residents live concentrated along a single street nearly 9 km long in the interior of Poland, with houses forming a continuous row and narrow agricultural strips emerging behind them, creating one of the most unusual rural patterns in Europe.

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