As cold winds and dropping temperatures sweep across northern China, Dagang Oilfield has shifted from passive response to proactive measures in its natural gas supply campaign. Since December 1, when another round of cold weather hit, the oilfield's 11 gas storage facilities have collectively supplied 173 million cubic meters of natural gas over 11 days in high-efficiency extraction mode.
This "underground granary," which has operated safely for over 9,100 days, is undergoing a systemic transformation to strengthen its role as a key natural gas supply hub for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
Facing frequent extreme weather and widening demand fluctuations, Dagang Oilfield is optimizing its storage capacity and efficiency. It has created "production capacity profiles" for 108 extraction wells, dynamically adjusting extraction rates based on geological features and historical data. This "one-reservoir-one-policy" approach has improved efficiency by 15%, with Well Bai-6-3 setting a record by injecting over 100 million cubic meters in a single cycle.
Expansion projects are accelerating. By 2025, older facilities like Bananzhong South and Bananzhong North will increase capacity through new wells and optimized processes. Bananzhong North alone added four extraction wells, boosting daily peak-shaving capacity by 2 million cubic meters—enough to meet one day's gas demand for all households within Beijing's Fifth Ring Road.
Long-term projects including Banshen-37, Chenghai, and Qianmiqiao No.1 are progressing rapidly, expected to increase total capacity by 30% to meet future demand. During the 2025 injection season, these facilities stored over 2 billion cubic meters, with daily injections peaking at 21.16 million cubic meters for 10 consecutive days—a record high that secured one month's cooking gas supply for 40 million households.
The transition to smart operations is equally transformative. A new digital command center monitors 450 real-time parameters across all facilities, using algorithms to generate extraction plans with 90% fewer errors. Remote valve control and automatic alerts have tripled efficiency, while a young engineering team achieved full domestic production of compressor control systems, cutting maintenance costs by 30%.
Safety systems have been upgraded with millisecond-level precision. New emergency shutdown protocols respond in 0.7 seconds—twice as fast as a human blink—to isolate leaks. Preventive measures include comprehensive equipment "health checks," corrosion-resistant pipeline coatings, and cold-weather upgrades for vulnerable components.
With 128 smart monitoring points and 16 designated responsibility zones, the storage network maintains 24/7 readiness. All extraction wells now feature automatic shutdown systems that react three times faster than manual operations, backed by 23 categories of emergency supplies.
As winter deepens, these silent but efficient energy flows from kilometers underground demonstrate Dagang Oilfield's capability to "store fully, adjust flexibly, deliver reliably"—a steadfast commitment to securing China's energy future.
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