CNPC: projects and investment
In July 2013 CNPC and Eni signed a 4.2 billion dollar deal for a 20% stake in an offshore natural gas block in Mozambique, an example of its overseas gas investments.
In March 2014 the chairman announced that six business units would be opened to private investors, which means some service and equipment purchasing may sit with newer mixed-ownership entities. Its Changqing field in the Ordos Basin is reported as China's largest oil and gas field. If you are specifying an IECEx smartphone for CNPC, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for CNPC: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted for Q4 2026. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of conformity | Number checkable on the IECEx online register | In progress; not issued |
| Standards edition | The IEC 60079 edition the certificate cites | Stated on the certificate when issued |
| Schedule of conditions | Limits of use, batteries and accessories | Published with the certificate |
| Where it applies | CNPC: Oil and gas production facilities, Gas processing, Refinery process units | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in China. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
A short profile of its operations and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams. The Ex certificate and an organisation's own vendor or engineering approval are two separate timelines; SAMS is working towards both and holds neither today.
In July 2013 CNPC and Eni signed a 4.2 billion dollar deal for a 20% stake in an offshore natural gas block in Mozambique, an example of its overseas gas investments.
Its subsidiary Great Wall Drilling Company provides drilling services, so rig crews and service contractors are an important group of hazardous-area users within the CNPC family.
In 2018 the company announced gas storage facilities with a total capacity of 55.6 billion cubic metres in northern Henan province, to ease winter supply bottlenecks, adding underground storage and compression sites.
CNPC reports around 30 international exploration and production projects, with operations in countries such as Azerbaijan, Canada, Indonesia, Oman, Peru and Thailand, so some staff work under foreign site rules.
IECEx is the international scheme for certifying equipment used in explosive atmospheres. A certificate of conformity is issued by an accredited certification body against a specific edition of the IEC 60079 standards and carries a schedule of conditions of safe use. It is not a legal requirement in most countries on its own, but many national schemes accept it as the technical basis.
The IECEx certificate for the IS-04Z1 is in progress and has not been issued. The marking target is Ex ib IIC T4, the intrinsic safety concept for Zone 1 gas with the hardest gas group (IIC) and a 135 °C temperature class.
In CNPC. CNPC operates in China and overseas, so international contractors and joint-venture partners are part of its supply chain, and many use IECEx documents. A certificate of conformity with its schedule of conditions gives them and CNPC reviewers a shared reference. The IS-04Z1 is designed for IECEx, still in progress. Chinese rules may apply separately.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
SAMS has not published a price. Any figure you are offered for an uncertified Ex phone should be treated with caution; written indicative pricing is available for a defined quantity and site.
No. The IECEx certificate is in progress and has not been issued. SAMS will publish the number when it exists.
Supplier registration and equipment approval are run by the organisation itself; confirm current requirements with its procurement and HSE teams.
Not exactly. Explosion proof is a broad everyday term; intrinsic safety is one protection concept, which limits energy so ignition cannot occur. Flameproof (Ex d) is a different concept that contains an explosion. The IS-04Z1 is intrinsically safe by design.
Fields in northern and north-western China can see very cold winters and dusty, dry summers, so battery performance in cold, dust ingress protection and screen visibility in glare matter. Ask the oilfield for its operating temperature limits and any site restrictions on portable electronics.
China has its own explosion-protection certification scheme and marking, and operators usually expect equipment to carry the Chinese certificate in addition to any international ones. Confirm with the site and its certification body which approvals they accept before offering handheld devices.
It can be, if the marking matches the area classification, battery capacity covers long shifts and the fleet can be managed centrally. Dust and winter cold need checking. IP68 is not explosion protection. The IS-04Z1 is not yet certified, so confirm with the site operator.
Related guides for CNPC and for China.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.