Development of the Fuel and Energy Industry in Shaanxi Province in the 1978–2000s

Shaanxi province, especially its northern Shaanbei region, has rich natural resources. Energy resource extraction in Shaanxi has a long history, but at the same time, its development has been slow and the scale of extraction has been small. Before the policy of reform and opening up, Shaanxi's fuel and energy industry was backward in many respects and did not make up a noticeable share in both the provincial economy and throughout China. At the same time, in the 2000s. there was a sharp increase in the fuel and energy industry, as a result of which Shaanxi province became one of the largest suppliers of energy resources in China. The article reveals the process of development and modernization of the fuel and energy industry in Shaanxi Province from the beginning of the reform and opening-up policy period to the beginning of the 21st century (1978–2000). During this period its growth rate was small in comparison with 2000s, but in the fuel and energy complex of Shaanxi there were significant changes: many industries, where manual labour was used, were mechanized, new production technologies were introduced on the basis of foreign experience, as well as scientific and engineering developments, and exploration works were carried out. The oil industry has received significant development, a new industry has appeared — natural gas production, the export of energy resources abroad has begun, infrastructure has been created for their supply to other regions of the PRC. The result was the formation of a relatively modern fuel and energy industry in Shaanxi, which successfully managed to achieve advanced development against the backdrop of increased state support in the 2000s.