{
  "id": 1806637,
  "title": "China unveils five-year plan to boost oil drilling, energy security",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/china-unveils-five-year-plan-to-boost-oil-drilling-energy-security",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-18T21:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Qatar Tribune Business",
    "slug": "qatar-tribune-business",
    "url": "https://www.qatar-tribune.com/article/249412/business/china-unveils-five-year-plan-to-boost-oil-drilling-energy-security"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "China has revealed a five-year plan aimed at increasing crude oil drilling and enhancing its energy security amidst geopolitical tensions. The strategy, announced on Monday by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration, targets natural gas storage capacity to surpass 13% of national consumption by 2030. Furthermore, China aims to elevate liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal handling capacity to 200 million tonnes annually and boost overland pipeline imports to 114 billion cubic meters of natural gas yearly until 2030.\n\nThe plan is a response to energy security concerns arising from geopolitical risks, such as the Middle East conflict and Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions. By 2030, China seeks to achieve a domestic oil supply of 440 million tonnes, equivalent to oil, with the addition of 20,000 kilometers of new long-distance oil and natural gas pipelines, bringing the network to 220,000 kilometers. This length could encircle the Earth five times.\n\nIn addition to these objectives, China's five-year plan emphasizes reaching peak oil consumption and implementing green fuel alternatives, energy efficiency improvements, and electrification. To ensure energy security, the government aims to bolster domestic production, diversify imports, and fortify oil and gas reserves while accelerating electrification and alternative energy sources.\n\nThe plan also seeks to maintain stable production in mature oilfields like Daqing and Shengli while expanding output from newer fields in Inner Mongolia, such as Bayan and Jilantai. It intends to develop intelligent drilling rigs capable of drilling up to 15,000 meters, facilitating onshore exploration and production at depths exceeding 10,000 meters.\n\nOther highlights include the storage of 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually by 2030 using carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies and the creation of a national oil reserve system. This system will integrate government stockpiles, corporate reserves, and commercial inventories to mitigate supply disruptions. Additionally, the plan calls for intensified exploration in major oil and gas basins, particularly the deep and ultra-deep reserves in Xinjiang's Tarim Basin and southwestern China's Sichuan Basin.",
  "summary": "AgenciesChina has announced a new dedicated five-year plan to drill more crude oil and expand its network of pipelines as the world’s largest importer of fossil fuels faces heighte...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}