Abstract: As one of the four middle scale natural gas abundant areas in China, Junggar basin is rich in natural gas distributed in several layer series from the Carboniferous to the Neogene, among which the volcanic gas fields (reservoirs) lie to the Permian in its northwestern margin and the Carboniferous in the hinterland. The volcanic gas exploration in Junggar basin began earlier, but no bigger breakthrough had been made until 2004 it entered into the fast developing stage, because of the restriction of the natural gas development conditions and the influence of market demand at that time. This paper analyzes the favorable conditions and restricted factors in process of gas production, integrated with the status of exploration and development of natural gas and the gas resources of volcanic reservoirs, in view of the characteristics of the complex types of the exploited gas reservoirs, the small scale, the poor abundance, the distinct heterogeneity and the lack of the matching technology, by which it proposes the targets and the working plan for gas development in Junggar basin in the future.

Key words: Junggar basin, volcanic gas field, development, prospect