BEIJING — Chinese scientists and researchers will develop intelligent drilling systems with independent intellectual property rights, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced on July 18.

The project, launched by CAS, will have the capacity to explore and develop oil and gas 6,000 meters below the ground, and will help increase China’s oil and gas output on a large scale, CAS said.

According to chief scientist Wang Zili, the project aims to master intelligent drilling technologies that can support the country’s exploitation of oil, gas and geothermal energy in deep formations for the next 20 years.

CAS said China did not have plentiful oil reserves in existing oil fields, but oil and gas in deep formations had huge potential for development, accounting for 52 and 28 percent of the country’s total geological resources for oil and gas.