An official with China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, Yan Jisheng, believes the discovery will help ease China’s ever-growing thirst for oil.

According to Yan, who is responsible for natural resources and environmental development in the ministry, “The six oil deposits around the Shengli Oilfield, believed to be millions of years old, will help ease the country’s oil shortage and sustain the more developed eastern areas.”

The scientists who have made the breakthrough at Shengli also believe around 10 billion tons of sedimentary-based oil deposits may be found at the Songliao, Bohai Bay, Nanxiang, Jianghan and Subei bases. All these areas are in eastern China.

“These new discoveries have eased our anxiety over oil shortages .and we know that we have more oil deposits to support the country’s long-term economic development,” added Yan.