Injecting "new" momentum into the development of the energy industry (central enterprises going global, riding on the "new" to go global)

Our reporter Guan Kejiang

Recently, Iraq's first permanent fiber optic well has been successfully completed. The on-site staff carefully tied the fiber optic cable, as thin as a hair, onto the oil pipe and sent it down with the electric submersible pump, laying it throughout the entire oil well. Engineer Wang Shouxin closely monitored the various parameters on the display screen at depths of 1000 meters, 2000 meters, 3000 meters... until the optical fiber finally reached a depth of 5000 meters, and the temperature and pressure of the oil well were accurately fed back to the surface.

Oil well production requires adjusting parameters according to underground conditions. In the past, we needed to shut down for maintenance and use specialized tools for detection. One shutdown was equivalent to a loss of 500000 US dollars. With permanent fiber optics, data signals such as pressure, temperature, and sound waves underground can be uploaded to CNOOC's' Xuanyue Cloud 'in real time and synchronized to the oilfield command center, "said Wang Shouxin. Mohammed, the manager of the joint operation organization of the Missan Oilfield Group in Iraq, stated that Iraq's first permanent fiber optic well provides a reliable basis for scientific management and optimized production of the oilfield. This achievement demonstrates the technical strength and management level of Chinese enterprises in following the best practices of the international oil and gas industry.

The first permanent fiber optic well in Iraq is part of the Missan Oilfield Group Service Project of China National Offshore Oil Corporation. The Missan oil field is located in the heart of the Gobi Desert in southeastern Iraq and is one of the longest running and most environmentally challenging oil fields in the country. Oil fields have long been plagued by multiple challenges such as outdated facilities, outdated technology, and resource bottlenecks. Li Feng, General Manager of CNOOC Iraq Limited, introduced that the oil and gas industry is the economic pillar of Iraq. "To achieve increased production in the Missan oil field, new technologies need to be introduced and new potential of old oil fields needs to be explored.

In addition to building fiber optic wells, Chinese companies have also applied for the first time the "fish bone spur jet production technology" in Iraq. Steel pipes with regular holes on the outer wall are installed on the main oil pipe and inserted into the well. Through wellhead pressure control and injection of acid, they slowly extend like fish bones and drill into the formation for several meters, forming a "multi branch, multi-channel" network underground, making it easier for crude oil to flow into the wellbore. Compared with traditional techniques, this technology can penetrate the reservoir more deeply, expand the unloading area, and improve the utilization efficiency of the reservoir, making it particularly suitable for carbonate reservoirs.

Iraqi engineer Ali Jabbar participated in the assembly and insertion of the "fishbone spine" tool. He said that the new technology introduced by the Chinese project team has improved the production efficiency of the oil field and also enabled Iranian employees to master the latest technology. It is reported that the company has also launched the "3+3" plan, which aims to provide comprehensive training for local employees in Iraq and strive to have a certain proportion of key positions held by Missan Oil Company or local employees in Iraq within 6 years. Li Feng stated that both fiber optic wells and "fishbone spine" technology are important measures taken by the Chinese team to promote digitalization. Over the past year, the company has also led and promoted a series of new technologies and processes, effectively solving the bottleneck problem that restricts the stable production of oil fields.

Chinese Consul General in Basra, Chen Peizhong, stated that China Iran relations are developing healthily and steadily, and cooperation in various fields is steadily advancing. We look forward to further utilizing the advantages of energy cooperation between China and Iran in the future, strengthening technical exchanges and project cooperation in various fields, and better benefiting the people of both countries.

Sujijinari Hydropower Station Project in Pakistan

Record breaking 'hydraulic slingshot' accumulates valuable experience

Our reporter Zhao Yipu

In northwest Pakistan, the swift flowing Kunha River surges through the rugged mountains, and the Sujijinari hydropower station on the river delivers electricity to thousands of households. Since its commercial operation in September 2024, the Sujijinari hydropower station has delivered over 3 billion kilowatt hours of clean electricity to Pakistan, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 1.3 million households.

The Sujijinali Hydropower Station started construction in 2017, with investment from China Energy Engineering Marine Investment Corporation and construction by Gezhouba Third Company and Gezhouba Electromechanical Company. In the mountainous areas of northwest Pakistan with unique terrain, in order to maximize the utilization of the Kunha River's water energy, the Sujijinari Hydropower Station has chosen a high head, long tunnel diversion power station model to complete the construction.

There is a 22 meter diameter cave opening on a hill by the Kunha River, resembling a "courtyard". Here, builders from China and Pakistan have been busy drilling pressure shafts for hydropower stations. Relying on the "Intelligent Perception Lifting System" developed by the Chinese project team, the command personnel on the bridge crane at the entrance of the tunnel can communicate wirelessly with the construction personnel hundreds of meters deep inside the tunnel in real-time. Even though there are at most dozens of people working in the cave at the same time, the entire construction site remains orderly. The system can also sense the situation under the tunnel in real time, and with the help of the fully automatic track set up on the tunnel wall, it can timely transport building materials downwards and remove the waste soil.

During the power generation process of hydropower stations, pressure shafts play a central role. It is responsible for using the vertical height difference to convert the potential energy of water into pressure energy, so that the water flow reaches the required high pressure before entering the turbine. This requires that the vertical shaft must have sufficient depth. The Chinese project team has integrated the "intelligent perception lifting system" with the traditional "anti well drilling rig+expansion excavation" construction technology, which has increased the construction efficiency of the pressure shaft by 40%. In the end, one pressure shaft with a diameter of 22 meters and six pressure shafts with a diameter of 6 meters were connected end-to-end and inserted into the mountain, with an overall height difference of 737.94 meters, equivalent to a 240 story building height, setting a world record for the height difference of pressure shafts in the hydropower industry.

Pakistani engineer Hasnan was involved in the construction of hydroelectric power plants. According to him, under complex geological conditions, it is difficult to imagine the difficulty and high technical requirements of excavating a pressure shaft vertically downwards from the mountaintop. In addition to the "Intelligent Perception Lifting System", the Chinese project team also innovatively applied the "Beidou+Inertial Navigation" fusion positioning technology and 3D laser scanning technology according to the technical requirements of different construction sections, and pioneered the special construction method of "layered grouting+steel arch support". In the face of construction difficulties such as fault compression and displacement, rock fragmentation, and poor geological surrounding rocks in vertical shafts, we have independently developed techniques for handling underground tunnel excavation anomalies.

The pressure shaft construction technology of the Sujijinari hydropower station has extensive application space in the mountainous areas of northwest Pakistan, accumulating valuable practical experience for similar engineering construction in Pakistan and leaving behind an invisible wealth, "Hasnan said.

Nowadays, the smoothly running Sujijinari hydropower station has become the "green engine" in the mountainous areas of northwest Pakistan. The pressure shaft is like a huge "hydraulic slingshot", delivering the Kunha River water at high speed to the hydroelectric generator units, producing stable and reliable clean electricity for thousands of households in Pakistan. Pakistan's Minister of Planning, Development and Special Projects, Ahsan Ikbar, stated that the Sujijinari hydropower station has alleviated Pakistan's power shortage problem, played a key role in optimizing the country's energy structure, reducing traditional energy dependence, and strengthening the national energy security defense line. It is another important achievement of energy cooperation between Pakistan and China.

Redstone 100 MW Tower Molten Salt Thermal Power Plant Project in South Africa

Efficient energy storage and power generation promote green energy transformation

Our reporter Zheng Xiang

In the northern Cape province of South Africa during summer, the vast Gobi desert is engulfed in heat waves. 30 kilometers east of Postmasburg town, the Redstone 100 MW tower type molten salt solar thermal power plant project (hereinafter referred to as the "Redstone Project") stands tall with its collection tower, surrounded by tens of thousands of rectangular heliostats arranged in a circular array.

The Redstone project is undertaken by Shandong Electric Power Construction Third Company of China Power Construction Group. It started construction in April 2021 and was connected to the grid for power generation in September 2024. It was officially put into commercial operation in May this year. It is the first tower type molten salt solar thermal power plant project in sub Saharan Africa and one of the largest renewable energy investment projects in South Africa. The project adopts advanced tower solar thermal power generation technology, with core facilities including a 247.55-meter-high collection tower and 41260 solar mirrors, which can effectively overcome the effects of short-term cloud cover and ensure the continuity and stability of power generation and energy storage.

According to Wang Zhiyou, the deputy manager of the Redstone project, there are currently four types of solar thermal power generation technologies: tower type, trough type, linear Fresnel type, and disc type. Tower type solar thermal power generation technology is often considered for large-scale power plant projects due to its adaptability and cost-effectiveness potential. Its advantages are also reflected in stronger energy storage compatibility and grid peak regulation capability, which can achieve valley heat storage and peak power generation through "thermal electric decoupling". To fully ensure power generation efficiency, the Redstone project also integrates core technologies such as sun chasing spotlight, photothermal conversion, molten salt heat storage, steam generation, air cooling water-saving, and zero wastewater discharge.

At sunrise, the heliostat automatically tracks the sunlight through a wireless device, accurately reflecting it to the heat collection device at the top of the tower, heating the molten salt from about 290 degrees Celsius to about 565 degrees Celsius, and storing it in a specially designed high-temperature molten salt tank. The Milky Way rises, and the stored heat energy can support the unit to operate at full load for 12 hours, continuously outputting stable and controllable electrical energy. As the core equipment of the thermal storage system, the welding quality of the molten salt tank directly determines the sealing performance and design service life of the tank body. Wang Zhiyou recalled that the project team specially selected senior welding engineers from China and introduced industry-leading phased array ultrasonic testing technology for precise monitoring throughout the entire process. Ultimately, the welding quality of the molten salt tank reached the standard, laying the foundation for the stable operation of the project.

The average annual solar radiation in the Northern Cape Province exceeds 2200 kilowatt hours per square meter, providing abundant energy guarantee for the efficient operation of solar thermal power plants. The Redstone project is expected to provide 480 gigawatt hours of clean electricity to South Africa annually, meeting the annual electricity needs of approximately 200000 households, replacing 147000 tons of standard coal annually, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 426000 tons. Seeing the countless heliostats erected in this vast desert, I firmly believe that South China green cooperation is a model for promoting sustainable development together, "said Wesley Douglas, director of the African Carbon Exchange.

Chinese enterprises actively practice the requirements of developing new quality productive forces and adhere to innovation leadership in project construction, "said Li Quanxiang, the project manager of Redstone. The cooperation between China and Africa has moved from the infrastructure field to a new stage of green technology collaborative innovation, and the Redstone project will continue to inject a continuous stream of green power into building a high-level community with a shared future for China and South Africa.

Chile's Cequinta Company's "Winter Plan" Action

Insulation coating robot guards the lights of thousands of households

Our reporter Chen Yiming

As the night deepens, the lights of the Valparaiso region of Chile on the Pacific coast shine brightly. The Rodriguez family living here had a particularly peaceful winter just passed. The children are doing homework under bright lights, and the kitchen heater is buzzing. But in the winter of 2024, many families in this area were once without power due to wind disasters, and could only live by lighting candles for several consecutive days.

Patricio Basques, Director of the Fifth Region of the Chilean Electricity and Fuel Regulatory Authority, introduced that before the arrival of winter this year, the Chilean company Cequinta, controlled by China State Grid Corporation, launched an unprecedented preventive operation and maintenance action - the "Winter Plan", covering nearly 970 specific measures, among which the biggest highlight was the first application of Chinese made insulation coating robots in Latin America.

The vegetation around the Puqiongkawi substation operated by Chekunta Company is dense, and the "tree line conflict" has long plagued the local power grid, affecting power supply reliability and posing a risk of wildfires. Nowadays, at the work site, simply hang it in place and the insulation coating robot can stably wrap around the wire with a biomimetic robotic arm. While moving at a constant speed, the specially designed insulation material is accurately covered on the surface of the wire through a high-voltage spraying system, forming a long-lasting protective coating with uniform thickness and high voltage resistance level. This coating can cure in a short period of time, providing reliable insulation protection for the circuit for more than 10 years.

This seemingly inconspicuous "insulation armor" enhances the safety performance of wires in complex environments and significantly reduces the risk of short circuit tripping caused by tree contact. The insulation rate of the medium voltage lines operated by Chinkunta Company is relatively low, with one-third located in high-risk areas. Dealing with similar hidden dangers in the past was not only time-consuming and laborious, but also affected users' normal electricity consumption. Now with the help of robots, the company is able to carry out uninterrupted operations. This technology has generated dual benefits of safety and economy in high-risk areas, safeguarding the electricity safety of over 2 million people in the entire Valparaiso region, "said Luis Sepulveda, Director of Distribution Business at Cequinta.

In the depths of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, another Chinese technology - helicopter insulator cleaning - plays the role of a "power grid guardian" in the desert area. The Atacama Desert is extremely arid, with severe dust pollution affecting power transmission and making it highly susceptible to power accidents. This year, Chinkunta Company conducted live cleaning on two 200 kilometer overhead power lines. The helicopter hovered at an altitude of tens of meters and sprayed accurately, quickly clearing the accumulated dirt on the insulator. This cleaning method is four times more efficient than traditional methods and saves nearly 15% of costs.

Since taking over Cequinta in 2020, State Grid Corporation of China has adhered to the business philosophy of "marketization, long-term, and localization", continuously improving the safety and intelligence level of its power grid. The quality of power supply services has ranked first in Chile for many consecutive years. Chequinta has made tangible contributions to local employment, community development, and energy accessibility, and has won heavyweight awards such as "Best Workplace in Latin America" and "Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development Award". The introduction of advanced technology and the implementation of forward-looking preventive operation and maintenance actions by Chinkunta Company have significantly improved the resilience and reliability of the power grid, setting a new benchmark for the local power industry, "said Vazquez sincerely.