SHENZHEN, May 22 (Xinhua) -- China's first offshore carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) project on Thursday began operations in the Pearl River Mouth Basin in south China, said China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), the country's largest offshore oil and gas producer.

The project, situated at the Enping 15-1 platform, captures carbon dioxide produced during oil development, purifies and pressurizes it to a supercritical state, and injects it into underground oil reservoirs at an initial rate of 8 tonnes per hour. This innovative approach both drives increased oil production and achieves carbon sequestration, creating a new model of marine energy recycling.

The Enping 15-1 platform, currently Asia's largest offshore oil production platform, is located approximately 200 km southwest of China's southern boomtown Shenzhen at a water depth of about 90 meters. At peak production, the oilfield group produces over 7,500 tonnes of crude oil daily.

CCUS represents an emerging technological approach for low-carbon and efficient development of fossil energy. Globally, there are 65 commercial CCUS projects, though most are concentrated onshore with very few offshore implementations. ■