The Ministry of Science and Technology, China National Petrochemical Corporation and China National Offshore Oil Corporation here Wednesday signed an agreement on the project, which is on the list of the state's high technology improvement program initiated in March 1986.

According to the plan, by the end of 2005,a total of 500million tons of oil reserves should be found, annual oil production from oilfields under the sea will reach 21million tons of crude oil and the recovery rate is expected to increase by one to five percent.

Vice Minister of Science and Technology Li Xueyong said that the country attached great importance to developing energy resources.

He Shenghou, leading scientist with the research group, said that his fellow researchers would focus on precise exploration technology, advanced drilling technology, recovery improvement technology and engineering security technology.

The researchers are expected to develop a series of new techniques and equipment, 60 to 80patents and software copyrights, and two to three high-tech bases for offshore oilfields, he said.

According to the experts, the Bohai Sea has total reserves of 9.7 billion tons of oil and gas. The annual oil production in 2001 in the region reached only 5.6 million tons.

(eastday.com June 20, 2002)