An oil shale mine with reserves of more than 1 billion metric tons has been found in Dongning, a county in Heilongjiang province, Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday.

The county’s land and resources bureau said the mine was found after a five-year effort by geological survey staff.

The proportion of the mine’s average oil content has reached 12.8 percent.

With these reserves, the county plans to start an oil shale retorting plant project with an annual handling capacity of 10 million tons and annual output worth 5 billion yuan ($823 million).

Oil shale is a type of sedimentary rock containing combustible organic matter that can be used to produce gasoline, diesel and other fuel.