A carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) hub at the Bayan Oilfield in Bayannur, Inner Mongolia, North China, has now stored more than 70,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide underground — marking the creation of one of the region’s largest CO2 utilization and storage bases, according to local authorities.
The field, home to over 300 production wells tapping deep crude deposits, has traditionally relied on water flooding to boost oil output, a method that recovers roughly 20% of available crude.
In 2020, operators began shifting toward CO2 injection to both conserve water and cut emissions.
The switch has nearly doubled the recovery rate to around 45%, said Yang Xuesong, chief geologist at the Bayan Exploration and Development Branch of PetroChina Huabei Oilfield Company.
CCUS is gaining momentum worldwide as a key tool for low-carbon fossil fuel production, storing captured CO2 or putting it to industrial use.
The technology is seen as a practical way to help mitigate climate change, aligning with China’s goals to peak emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
Relevant: BHP And Partners Launch Landmark Study On Asian Carbon Capture Hubs
China’s CCUS deployment has expanded rapidly in recent years. A government roadmap released late last year reported 126 projects in operation nationwide — an increase of 77 since 2020.
In May, the country’s first offshore CCUS site began operating in the Pearl River Mouth Basin, where CO2 from oil extraction is purified, pressurized into a supercritical state, and injected underground to boost oil production while permanently storing the gas.
Read more: GCMD Completes Pioneering Onboard Carbon Capture Trial In China
