CCTV9英语新闻：China has estimated 25 tln cubic meters of shale gas resources

Will shale¹ gas be able to quench² the energy thirst of the world's second largest economy? According to the Geological Survey of China, it may be too early to tell, but a plan is certainly now in motion. The newly released China Shale Gas Resources Survey says shale gas exploration will be a key part of China's energy efforts in 2015, and 680 million yuan will be invested into shale gas exploration and development this year alone. Now for more on this, we are joined in the studio by our reporter Wu Haojun. 

 

Q1: Tell us more about China's big plan for shale gas.

 

A: China's plan for shale gas exploration and development is certainly ambitious. But it's also very much founded in reality. According to the survey, China has an estimated 25 trillion cubic meters of technically³ recoverable shale gas resources. Let's put that number into context here. The United States, the country that has spearheaded the world's shale gas exploration and development, has just under 19 trillion cubic meters of usable shale gas resources. So the potential is certainly there for China, but how exactly will the country go about realizing the the goal of producing 30 billion cubic meters of shale gas by 2020? 

 

With one of the largest reserves in the world, China is ready to tap into shale gas. And in 2015, another big step forward.

 

China's state-owned Sinopec started up a dedicated⁴ pipeline⁵ that will connect a major shale gas block in Sichuan to its East China pipeline network. 

 

"We produce 20 to 40 cubic meters of shale gas every day. That meets just about 50 thousand household's energy demand for one day," said Ouyang Liming, engineer of Jianghan Oilfield 2nd Shale Gas Platform.

 

The plan is to start small and gradually go big. But shale gas is a tough business, especially on the technology front, being a late-comer in the field, both indigenous⁶ R&D and international cooperation are a must. 

 

As we speak, there are more than 20 Chinese enterprises engaged in shale gas exploration and development, with big SOEs like PetroChina, Sinopec and CNOOC taking the lead. They've also been cooperating with and learning from foriegn companies in the process," said Zhai Gangyi, deputy director of Oil & Gas Resources Survey Center.

 

International powerhouses are scrambling⁷ for a piece of the Chinese market. But China also has its own plans. It's increasingly looking to rely less on foreign technologies and more on its own R&D capacity for the future of its shale gas development. 

 

"The US is the first country in the world to utilize⁸ shale gas. Now it has a annual production of 300 billion cubic meters. That's changed the United States' energy structure, and maybe the world's too. China is the third country to achieve shale gas production capacity after the US and Canada," Zhai said. 

 

HAOJUN: There's no doubt that China wants shale gas, and much more of it in the future. The government essentially⁹ wants to kill two birds with one stone, on the one hand, shale gas can help China rely less on energy imports, and on the other, it can lead to a cleaner environment. 

 

Q2: Besides the issue of technology, what are some of the other key challenges for China's shale gas exploration and development efforts?

 

A: Well, the issue of technology seems to be an easier part of the equation, compared to the two other major challenges. First of all, unlike much of US shale gas, which is found in the flatlands of North Dakota and Texas, China's shale basins are located in mountainous and difficult terrain¹⁰. That makes large-scale drilling and the building of infrastructure¹¹, such as piplelines, highly challenging. Another constraint¹² is less obvious but equally important... the lack of water. Drilling and fracking are very water consuming, and suck up 19 thousand tons of water per well in the US, a country with an abundant supply of freshwater resources. But here in China,  even in the relatively¹³ water rich Sichuan, water resources account for just over 3 thousand square meters per capita a year, that's less than one fifth of the U-S figure. That's also why Chinese and foreign companies are in a race to develop cutting edge water saving, and even water free fracking technologies, especially for the Chinese market.

1 shale   

n.页岩，泥板岩

参考例句：

• We can extract oil from shale.我们可以从页岩中提取石油。
• Most of the rock in this mountain is shale.这座山上大部分的岩石都是页岩。

2 quench   

vt.熄灭，扑灭；压制

参考例句：

• The firemen were unable to quench the fire.消防人员无法扑灭这场大火。
• Having a bottle of soft drink is not enough to quench my thirst.喝一瓶汽水不够解渴。

3 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

4 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

5 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

6 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

7 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。

9 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

10 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

11 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

12 constraint   

n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物

参考例句：

• The boy felt constraint in her presence.那男孩在她面前感到局促不安。
• The lack of capital is major constraint on activities in the informal sector.资本短缺也是影响非正规部门生产经营的一个重要制约因素。

13 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。