URUMQI, September 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese geologists have discovered an area with hundreds of millions of tons of oil and gas reserves in Maqiao in the northern part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Maqiao has a probable oil reserve of 1.37 billion tons and a natural gas reserve of 410 billion cubic meters.
A 4,340-meter-deep oil well has been drilled already. During the four-day trial production period early this month, it pumped 100 tons of oil and 300,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day. Chinese experts predict the well has a reserve of 20 million tons of oil.
Another four experimental wells will be drilled in the region soon.
Xinjiang is one of China's leading oil producers. The Junggar Basin, in northern Xinjiang, is considered the largest oil- producing area in western China, with an annual output of 9.2 million tons.
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