Challenges and Efficient Operation Mechanism of Shale Oil Exploration and Development in China

Shale oil has become an important composition of the global oil and gas industry system. China is rich in shale oil resources and has made significant exploration and development breakthroughs in many basins, which unveils a new field for implementing China’s petroleum strategy. The exploration and development of shale oil in China started relatively late, and the top-level strategic planning and policy orientation are not clear. There are problems such as difficult exploration breakthroughs, high development costs, and poor organization and operation. To this end, the current situation of shale oil management concept, macro environment, resource allocation, production and operation, science and technology level, and informatization degree in China and the United States were investigated, and the pain points, difficulties, and obstacles of shale oil exploration and development in China were considered. It is believed that the current shale oil exploration and development in China is mainly faced with four major challenges: concepts, technical capabilities, operation management, and green development. Based on the national energy strategy, countermeasures and suggestions were put forward to realize the efficient operation of shale oil in China, including planning a better development strategy for shale oil, building a strategic cooperative community with multi-subject integration under the market mechanism, creating a new mode of production and operation with multi-arm collaboration, establishing a new mechanism of scientific and technological development with iterative innovation, developing a new paradigm of information support enabled with digital intelligence, opening a new landscape of green and low-carbon industrial development, and fostering a new environment of highly compatible and friendly external operation.