BEIJING, May 29 (UPI) -- There are more than a dozen wells ready for hydraulic fracturing campaigns in mainland China, a country manager for Far East Energy Corp. said.
Far East Energy said it has started work on 23 conventional wells in China with the number of wells designated for fracking increased last week to 16.
Country Manager Bob Hockert said the hydraulic fracturing campaign was a watershed moment for China.
"By the time these 16 wells are stimulated, another 10 wells will be in the queue for fracking," he said in a statement. "Our goal is to continue the frack program uninterrupted until late October or November, ultimately comprising approximately 100 wells."
The company reported that there were more than 51 million cubic feet of proved natural gas reserves and more than 392 million cubic feet of probable reserves in its area of operations in China at the end of 2012.
The U.S. Energy Department's Energy Information Administration reports China may hold more natural gas than the United States, where the resource has transformed the energy sector. China has struggled with actual shale production, however.
