China's largest producer of offshore oil and gas, CNOOC, announced production has begun at the Liuhua 34-2 gas field in the South China Sea on December 15.

CNOOC has a 51-percent working interest in the Liuhua 34-2 gas field, while Husky Oil China Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Canada-based Husky Energy, holds the remaining 49 percent working interest.

Liuhua 34-2 gas field is located in the Eastern South China Sea, with the water depth in the range of 850-1,250 meters. The gas field consists of one producing well and is producing approximately 30 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.

The field is expected to reach its designed peak production of approximately 45 million cubic feet per day in 2015.

In March this year, CNOOC and Husky Oil China put another deep-water gas field, Liwan 3-1, into operation.