Mar. 9, 2010 (China Knowledge) - PetroChina's<601857><0857> Jilin Oilfield plans to nearly double its natural gas output to more than 3 million cubic meters by 2015, said Hou Qijun, general manager of the subsidiary, yesterday.

In 2010, the oil field plans to produce 1.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas, about 33% more than in the previous year.

Jilin Oilfield aims to raise its crude oil output to more than 7 million tons by 2015, up from last year's 6.05 million tons and the target of 6.65 million tons for this year, said Hou, adding that the oilfield hopes to maintain the 7-million-ton level for another decade.

Jilin Oilfield, an operator of small, marginal fields in northeastern China, has about 16,000 wells.

To meet the country's surging demand for natural gas, PetroChina aims to produce 130 to 140 billion cubic meters of gas within eight to ten years, which will account for about 50% of its total oil and gas production.