PetroChina â Xinjiang achieved a breakthrough in shale oil exploration in the Junggar Basin in April 2020. Maye 1 tested 318 b/d of oil at an interval from 4,579 to 4,852 m in the Permian Fengcheng Formation. The success of the well Maye 1 opens shale oil play potential in the Mahu field area and indicated a shale oil play fairway of 2,350 sq km.  PetroChina spudded Maye 1, a NFW, on 1 April 2019 in the Junggar Basin. The well is located in the north of Mahu Sag in the Wuxia Fault beltwith a PTD of 4,950 m, and had target in the Permian shale oil play in the Fengcheng Formation and volcanic play in the Carboniferous.   Maye 1 completed drilling operation in October 2019. The log data also indicated 68 m oil pay in the Lower Wurhe Formation of Permian, which is one of the main reservoirs in the Mahu field.  Mahu field has the main reservoir in the Triassic Baikouquan formation, recently more success wells tested oil and gas in other formations, such as the Baodaowan and Sangonghe formations in the Jurassic and the Wurhe and Fengcheng formations in the Permian.  Background Information  The dark mudstones and shales of the Fengchang Formation is one of the important source rock in the basin, which is deposited in lacustrine environment. Samples collected from the margin of the basin show that these dark mudstones have an average TOC content of 1.28%, a chloroform bitumen "A" value of 1,492 ppm, a total hydrocarbon content of 819 ppm, and a hydrocarbon potential S1+S2 value of 7.3 mg/g. Most of the source rocks of the Permian series are mature to post-mature with vitrinite reflectance (Ro) ranging from 0.55% to 2.0%.  Carboniferous volcanic reservoir has been found in the Kelameili field in the Junggar Basin. The field includes Dixi 14, Dixi 17, and Dixi 18 and Dixi 10 discoveries and has the main reservoir in the Carboniferous volcanic rocks. By 2017, 2.7 Tcf in place gas had been proved in the field.
Maye 1 expl. (PetroChina â Xinjiang 100%), shale oil well in Mahu block, Wuxia Fold Belt, N. Mahu Sag, tested 318 bo/d from 4,579-4,852m in the Permian Fengcheng fm. PTD=4 950m, target Fengcheng fm + Carboniferous volcanics.