China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has significantly boosted its production capabilities in the South China Sea with a series of new oilfield startups throughout 2025. These developments underscore the company’s commitment to expanding its domestic energy output and leveraging advanced technologies for efficient resource extraction.
Expanding Production in the South China Sea
CNOOC Ltd. has reported a series of successful production starts across its South China Sea operations in 2025. Among the latest is the Xijiang Oilfields 24 Block Development Project, located in the Pearl River Mouth Basin. This project, CNOOC’s ninth startup in the region for the year, is anticipated to reach a capacity of approximately 18,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) next year. The development cleverly utilizes adjacent existing facilities from the Huixi Oilfields, augmented by a new unmanned wellhead platform. Notably, the Xijiang 24-7 platform is highlighted as China’s first unmanned offshore platform designed for high-temperature fluid cooling and export, a technological advancement aimed at ensuring stable and continuous production by mitigating the impact of high temperatures on subsea pipelines.
Recent Project Highlights
Just prior to the Xijiang announcement, CNOOC commenced production at the Weizhou 11-4 Oilfield Adjustment and Satellite Fields Development Project in the Beibu Gulf Basin, also within the South China Sea. This project is projected to achieve a peak production of around 16,900 boed in 2026. The development plan for this site includes 35 wells, comprising 28 for production and seven for water injection. It features a newly constructed unmanned wellhead platform and a central processing platform connected to an existing facility via a trestle bridge. This project adopts a coordinated development strategy involving “three offshore processing centers + one onshore terminal” to serve as a hub for gathering and transportation, thereby ensuring a stable energy supply for the region.
A Year of Significant Startups
Throughout 2025, CNOOC has brought online a total of seven other projects in the South China Sea. These include the Dongfang 1-1 Gas Field 13-3 Block Development Project, the Dongfang 29-1 field, the Panyu 11-12/10-1/10-2 Oilfield Adjustment Joint Development Project, the Weizhou 5-3 field, the Wenchang 9-7 field, the Wenchang 16-2 field, and phase II of the Wenchang 19-1 field. These numerous startups highlight CNOOC’s aggressive development strategy in one of its key operational areas.
Broader Production and Overseas Ventures
Beyond the South China Sea, CNOOC also saw four project startups in the Bohai Sea in 2025: phase I of the Bozhong 26-6 field, the Caofeidian 6-4 field adjustment, phase I of the Kenli 10-2 Oilfields Development Project, and phase II of the Luda 5-2 North field. Internationally, CNOOC and its partners successfully launched the Yellowtail project in Guyana’s Stabroek block and brought online Buzios7 in Brazil’s Buzios field and Mero4 in the Mero field. These global ventures, alongside domestic expansions, contributed to a 6.7 percent increase in CNOOC Ltd’s net production for the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period in the previous year, with natural gas production showing a notable 11.6 percent growth.