China's Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) says it has punished the two companies that won acreage in the country's first-ever shale gas licensing round for failing to complete their stipulated work programs on time -- by slapping them with fines and reducing the size of their blocks. State-run Sinopec and local governmentowned Henan Provincial Coalbed Methane Development and Utilization Co. (Henan CBM) were awarded the Nanchuan and Xiushan Blocks, respectively, in the MLR's first shale gas round in July 2011. Both blocks lie near the southwestern municipality of Chongqing (IOD Jul.7'11).
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