China will boost geothermal energy development over the next 5 years
2016 China Geothermal International Forum, Beijing (source: thinkgeoenergy)
Alexander Richter
18 Nov 2016
The Chinese government expects to boost geothermal development over the next five years, to help fight emissions from coal fired heating that burden inhabitants in cities, such as Beijing.
At the 2016 China Geothermal International Forum, government representatives reported on ambitious plans to boost the development of geothermal energy development in China.
With this, the country expects to reduce coal consumption and improve air quality, according to an official speaking at the event.
In particular, China will promote the use of geothermal power in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region to replace coal for heating to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and improve air quality, Li Yangzhe, deputy director of the National Energy Administration, told the participants of the event on Thursday this week.
Li said China will provide policy support to boost geothermal energy exploitation and consumption during the 2016-2020 period.
China is expected to more than triple its geothermal energy consumption by 2020 to 72.1 million tonnes of coal equivalent from the current level.
China consumed about 20 million tonnes of coal equivalent of geothermal resources for heating, power generation and other uses in 2015, official data showed.
By 2020, geothermal power will likely account for about 1.5 percent of the country’s total energy consumption, helping to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 177 million tonnes.
Source: China.org.cn
