CHENGDU, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Changning-Weiyuan national shale gas demonstration zone developed by PetroChina Southwest Oil & Gas Field Company generated more than 2.4 billion cubic meters of shale gas in 2017, the company said Wednesday.

By 2017, the state-level demonstration zone had 163 shale gas wells in production, generating 8 million cubic meters of shale gas each day. Its output accounted for 98.9 percent of the company's total production of 3 billion cubic meters in Sichuan in 2017.

The shale gas-rich Sichuan Basin in southwest China produced about one-third of the country's total shale gas in 2017. The new industry also helped the region to improve its energy structure and shift away from traditional energy sources such as coal.

It is estimated that 3 billion cubic meters of shale gas is equivalent to burning 6 million tonnes of coal, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 4.2 million tonnes.

China has made breakthroughs in shale gas exploration both in capacity and drilling techniques, making it one of the top shale gas suppliers in the world.

By 2020, proven reserves of shale gas will surpass 1.5 trillion cubic meters, according to plans released by authorities in 2017.