Although China is nowhere close to the commercial production of shale gas, Yan Hailin, head of Pengshui county's land watchdog, has already drawn up a blueprint for the county's shale gas boom.

Pengshui, a poor county in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, was found to have about 100 billion cubic meters of shale gas reserves, according to the county's land resources and housing bureau.

"The discovery of the unconventional energy gives a large boost to Pengshui's economy and helps form a chemical industrial chain," Yan said.