The Fuling Shale Gas Field is China’s first large-scale shale gas field and the largest shale gas field outside North America.

SSC has overcome key technical challenges, such as extended-reach horizontal drilling and completion, and large-scale hydraulic fracturing for shale gas. It has established five major technology series covering geological evaluation, drilling engineering, fracturing and testing, key equipment and tools, and surface engineering. With full localization of tools and instruments, it has supported China’s shale gas exploration and development engineering technology in evolving from inception to leadership. In 2025, the company achieved a significant milestone by drilling the Jiaoye 44-Z5HF Well, which established a new Asian record for the longest lateral section in a shale gas horizontal well, reaching 5,442 meters. This accomplishment represents a major advancement in extending lateral lengths toward the 5,000-meter threshold. In recent years, the company has accelerated the promotion of slimhole wells, contributing to a 29% reduction in comprehensive cost per meter. Intelligent fracturing diagnostics, dynamic prevention, and real-time parameter adjustments have helped reduce screen-out rates to below 1%. The self-developed pressure coring tool successfully retrieved 1,123 meters of post-fracturing core samples. These advancements have supported Fuling in maintaining a stable annual production of 7 billion cubic meters for four consecutive years.