According to PetroChina their Well No 1 in the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has reached a depth of 8,882 meters. This sets a new record for onshore drilling in Asia and confirms that China is operating on a high level of ultradeep drilling.
Drilling started in June 2018 and the objective was to find oil and gas formations in deeper areas.

Quoting the head of the Halahatang Exploration Project Team of the Tarim Oilfield Exploration Department, Shen Biao: "The height of Mount Everest is 8,848 meters, and the current well depth of our Well No 1 in the Tarim Oilfield is 8,882 meters, which is equivalent to the height of an Everest underground." This exceeds the old record of 8,588 meters by more than 200 meters.

China consideres oil and gas ressources found in deep earth an important area for it's energy supply.
Over the last years many exploration projects were started and ceveral hundred ultradeep wells were drilled. This includes four wells with a depth of over 8,000 meters.

After Well No 1 broke through the 8,000 meter-line over 20 oil-bearing structures of considerable size were discovered according to Cai Zhenzhong, director of the Resource Exploration Department of the Tarim Oilfield.