When it comes to oil, many people think of the oil-producing countries in the Middle East. In fact, China also has abundant oil resources, especially under the desert. So the question is, why doesn't China exploit so much oil hidden under the desert? After reading this article, you will understand.
1. The formation and distribution of oil.
First, let's take a look at the formation and distribution of oil. Oil is produced by the transformation of organic matter from ancient oceans or lakes under specific conditions. These organic matter mainly include plankton, algae, animal remains, etc. In a high-temperature and high-pressure environment, these organic matter are gradually converted into oil and natural gas.
China's petroleum resources are mainly distributed in the Northeast, North China and Northwest China. Among them, the desert area in the northwest is an important oil storage area. The desert is rich in oil resources, mainly concentrated in the Tarim Basin, Junggar Basin, Qaidam Basin and other places.
2. The reason why China does not exploit oil under the desert.
If there is so much oil hidden under the desert, why doesn't China dig it? Actually, there are many reasons for this.
Technical difficulty.
The geological conditions in the desert area are very complex, and the underground oil reservoirs are scattered, thin-bedded, and low permeability, making it very difficult to exploit. In addition, the climatic conditions in the desert area, with high temperatures in summer and cold winters, pose great challenges to the mining work.
The environmental carrying capacity is limited.
The ecological environment in the desert area is very fragile, and once it is mined, it will cause serious damage to the local environment. In addition, the wastewater and exhaust gases generated during the mining process can pollute the local water and air, affecting the quality of life of residents.
The economic cost is high.
Due to the technical difficulty and limited environmental carrying capacity, the economic cost of extracting oil from the bottom of the desert is very high. In contrast, extracting oil from other regions is more economical and cost-effective. In addition, fluctuations in international oil prices will also have an impact on mining costs.
Resource strategic considerations.
China is a big energy consumer and has a large demand for oil. However, in order to ensure national energy security and economic development, we need to rationally use and develop oil resources at home and abroad. In terms of resource strategy, we need to prioritize the extraction of oil resources from other parts of the country, rather than oil from the bottom of the desert.
3. Future prospects.
While China is not currently extracting oil from the desert on a large scale, that doesn't mean it won't be in the future. With the advancement of technology and economic development, we may pay more attention to the development and utilization of oil resources in desert areas in the future. At the same time, in order to protect the environment and ecology, we also need to adopt a more scientific and rational development method to ensure sustainable development.
Although the oil resources under the desert are abundant, the development and utilization of these resources are restricted by factors such as difficult extraction, limited environmental carrying capacity, high economic cost and resource strategic considerations. In the future development, we need to pay more attention to environmental protection and sustainable development, rationally use and develop oil resources at home and abroad, and make great contributions to the country's economic development and energy security.