Sinopec starts natgas production at 2bcm per year at Sichuan gas field

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Sinopec has begun production at a natural gas field in southwestern China's Sichuan province with an annual production capacity of 2 billion cubic metres (bcm), according to a statement released by the company on Tuesday.

The West Sichuan Gas Field project has total reserves of 100bcm of natural gas, the Chinese state oil and gas major said, adding that the field is also expected to produce 130,000 metric tons of sulfur per year.

The project is Sinopec's third gas field in the Sichuan Basin with more than 100bcm in reserves.

Sinopec currently has proven natural gas reserves of nearly 3 trillion cubic metres in the Sichuan Basin, with an annual output of 26bcm, the statement said.

(Reporting by Andrew Hayley; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)