China's Ordos Basin has a proven annual underwater supply of 10.5 billion cubic meters, with 5.8 billion cubic meters exploitable every year, according to a latest report from China Geological Survey Bureau.

The bureau said it has singled out 161 sources with aggregate exploitable underwater of 2.2 billion cubic meters per year.

Situated in north west China's Loess Plateau, Ordos Basin has become an important coal production base since 1980s and serves as a crucial energy engine to power the Western China Development Strategy and alleviate national energy shortage.

The largest underwater survey in China lasted eight years and involved more than 500 technicians from 17 departments, the largest of its kind in the country.

Apart from the 103.9 million yuan from the Chinese central government, the project also consumed 1.6 million U.S. dollars from the International Atomic Energy Agency and three million U.S. dollars from a Sino-French fund.

While the survey was being made, technicians also helped local residents dig more than 100 wells, alleviating the water shortage for more than 570,000 people.

Ordos Basin, which dated back some 500 million years ago, contains a variety of resources including coal, petroleum, natural gas and sodium salt.