China has succeeded in the trial exploration of natural gas hydrates in the Shenhu waters of the South China Sea, with an average of 16,000 cubic meters of gas with high purity being extracted each day for 8 consecutive days up till May 18, 2017.

Experts first tapped the natural gas hydrates at a depth of 1,266 meters underwater on May 10, 2017. The highest volume of gas being extracted reached 35,000 cubic meters per day.

The successful trial exploration marks a major breakthrough in global exploration of natural gas hydrates, contributing to scientific and technological advancements in the development of this new type of clean energy.

The trial exploration project was conducted by China Geological Survey, Ministry of Land and Resources of China.