China National Offshore Oil Company Limited (CNOOC Ltd.) said Monday that a gas field of the company in the South China Sea has commenced production with a current daily output of 30,000 cubic feet.

The gas field, dubbed as Ledong (LD) 22-1, is solely owned by CNOOC Ltd..

Natural gas from the field and also from LD 15-1, another CNOOC field 20 km away from LD 22-1, will be piped to customers, including refinery plants, chemical plants and city gas, in south China's Hainan Province.

LD 15-1 will commence production later this year in order to match the customer needs said the company.

Peak production of LD 22-1 and LD 15-1 is expected to reach around 150 million cubic feet a day.

Incorporated in Hong Kong, CNOOC Ltd. is a listed subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, China's largest offshore oil producer.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2009)