What CCS projects look like in the South China Sea: an interview with Wu Qilin

Among several ongoing CCS projects is one succeeding exploration in the South China Sea oil field. This project is managed by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), one of the largest oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world. Interviewing Wu Qilin, a manager of the current CCS project, offered perspective of what it means to observe, plan, and execute CCS projects upfront.

Please introduce the oil field CCS project you are currently working on.

Our CCS project began around 2020–2021. At that time, we were developing an oil field with a high CO₂ content—six wells contained a large percentage of CO₂ in the gas phase. Before 2020, the plan was to simply vent the CO₂ into the air with no treatment.

However, after President Xi announced China’s carbon-peaking policy, the company revised the development plan to include CCS. This delayed the project’s FID (Final Investment Decision) by about six months. We studied whether to inject CO₂ as a gas or a liquid and eventually designed a system to inject CO₂ in a mixed phase at specific temperature and pressure conditions.

We considered building a completely new platform, but because it would cost more than 1 billion RMB, we chose instead to extend the deck of the existing platform and install CCS facilities there. By 2023, the field achieved first oil while simultaneously injecting all captured CO₂ back underground. It is CCS, not CCUS, because the CO₂ is stored but not reused.

Could you describe your main responsibilities as Deputy Production Manager at the LF12-3 offshore oil field?

Currently, the LF12-3 field is producing less than expected compared to the original development plan. While management pushes for higher output, producing “more and more” could risk damaging the reservoir. Personally, I believe maintaining stable, reasonable production rates is better for reservoir integrity, although I am not a reservoir engineer. My role involves managing production operations and coordinating between technical teams, the reservoir department, and corporate leadership.

What are the current production goals for LF12-3, and how do you ensure stable output in a mature offshore field?

Production today is lower than originally planned. Ensuring stable output is challenging because increasing production aggressively could harm the reservoir. The focus is on maintaining steady production while avoiding long-term reservoir damage.

What are the biggest obstacles to implementing CCS or low-carbon initiatives in offshore oil fields?

For CCS, the challenges are relatively small. Injecting CO₂ into a deep formation is technically straightforward when injection zones are completely separate from the oil reservoir—often 1,000 meters above. For CCUS, however, the challenges are greater. Injecting CO₂ into the reservoir to enhance oil recovery requires extremely clean, pure CO₂ with no contaminants, or else it could damage the reservoir. CCUS requires careful control of purity, pressure, and injection quantities. So CCS is simple; CCUS is complex and riskier.

How is CNOOC preparing for China’s “dual-carbon” goals—carbon peaking by 2030 and

carbon neutrality by 2060?

CNOOC is making strong efforts to reduce emissions: reducing diesel and fuel oil usage, minimizing crude oil and gas flaring, and investing heavily in equipment upgrades. By the end of this year, all platforms emitting more than 10,000 m³/day of gas must reduce below that threshold, and the company has invested significantly over the past two to three years to meet this target.

How do CCS/CCUS projects support net-zero goals?

In my personal opinion, many industries are starting CCS/CCUS earlier and more urgently than necessary. Carbon peaking in 2030 means emissions can rise until they reach their peak; therefore, many factories are increasing production beforehand. After 2030, any new facility will need to match its emissions with CCS/CCUS capacity before it is approved. That is why industries are rushing into CCS/CCUS research and demonstration now—to ensure the technology is ready when regulations tighten. However, instead of full-scale implementation, we should ideally conduct pilot tests first to develop technical capability before applying it at scale.