North China's Shanxi Province has discovered a large gas field with an estimated reserve of 545.6 billion cubic meters.

Shanxi is a major coal producer and has the country's second-largest known coal reserve. It also has estimated coal-bed gas and shale gas reserves of 12.7 trillion cubic meters.

Authorities discovered a large coal field in the area bordering Yushe, Zuoquan and Wuxiang counties in 2006. Further exploration found it contained high levels of gas.