US oil services company Schlumberger on Wednesday announced the opening of a reservoir laboratory in China's central Sichuan province to help support expanding activity in unconventional shale development.
The company's new facility in Sichuan's capital of Chengdu offers petrophysical and geomechanical services to help customers improve hydrocarbon recovery and maximize production throughout the life of their reservoirs, it said in a statement.
"This state-of-the art facility offers the most advanced equipment and services for reservoir analysis and geomechanical measurements to help our customers meet their objectives over the life of their unconventional reservoirs," said Sameh Hanna, president, Schlumberger Testing Services.
The facility is close to Schlumberger's existing operations facilities in Gaoxin and Shuangliu districts in the province.
Service companies such as Schlumberger are expected to play an increasingly larger role in helping develop China's unconventional gas resources. One of the major challenges of shale gas development is Chinese companies' lack of technology and drilling expertise.
Foreign participants could not directly participate in China's last shale gas bid round in December, and 19 blocks were ultimately awarded to 16 domestic companies, none of which had any oil and gas experience.