China - December 18, 2024 New offshore platform unlocks China's heavy oil potential (Voice_over) The world's first mobile thermal-injection platform for heavy oil extraction has been delivered to its destination in waters off Weihai City in east China's Shandong Province. Heavy oil, which is thicker and harder to extract than conventional oil, makes up more than two-thirds of the world's crude oil reserves, with China holding almost 20 billion tonnes of it. The company that designed and built the massive structure, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, says the platform uses high-temperature steam to reduce the viscosity of heavy oil which makes it easier to extract. The company expects the equipment to provide new opportunities to tap into the country's abundant reserves. (Sound_bite) Wei Longgui, General manager, CNOOC EnerTech-Drilling and Production Co., Ltd.: "Its successful operation has filled a gap in China's offshore mobile thermal-injection platform for heavy oil. It has explored new paths for the large-scale and intensive development of China's offshore heavy oil, activating a 'new driver'. It is of significant importance in safeguarding national energy security." (Voice_over) The platform is 82 meters long and 42 meters wide and equivalent in height to a 20-story building. It has two decks, weighs more than 10,000 tonnes, and was built to withstand severe marine conditions, including category 16 typhoons. [Restriction: No access Chinese mainland]