Abstract: Based on the recent-year experiences, the trend of existing assessment standards and the prediction of future petroleum resources, this paper presents the method for evaluation of utilization benefit of petroleum resources and proposes three basic principles for geologic-economic assessment of petroleum resources such as the popular demand principle including reasonable exploitation of oil-gas reservoirs; the full utilization principle that has been adopted by the law, which may decide the long-term economic benefits, containing rational use of petroleum resources and capital construction funds, manpower and materials; and the profit principle of oilfield development applied for determination of reasonable goals for oilfield development according to complicated market conditions at home and abroad in order for obtaining the maximum profit.Carrying out these principles can assure the long-term and stable development of petroleum industry, add profits of oil-gas field and absorb more funds, thus protecting the domestic long-term geologic-economic benefits through out the world.

Key words: petroleum resources assessment, geologic-economic index, rational exploitation, profit, investigation, benefit