BMW facility in Shenyang, China starts operations of geothermal heating facility
Drilling rig at the site of the BMW Brilliance geothermal heating project in Shenyang, China (source: The People's Government of Liaoning Province)
Carlo Cariaga
3 Nov 2025
The powertrain and battery manufacturing facility of BMW Brilliance in Shenyang, China is now being supplied with geothermal heat from 2900 meters depth.
The geothermal heating project for the Powertrain Plant and battery center of BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd (BBA) in Shenyang in Liaoning Province, China has officially started operations. It is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 18,000 tons per year and serve as a model for geothermal heating for industrial zones in northern China.
The geothermal heating project was led by BMW Brilliance, a joint venture between automobile manufacturer and BMW and Brilliance Auto, in collaboration with China Huaneng Group, Wanjiang New Energy Co., Ltd., and Shenyang Sino-German Industrial Park Development and Construction Group Co., Ltd. The Shenyang facility is a sixth-generation high-voltage battery center which produces batteries for BMW’s upcoming Neue Klasse models.
The project, which broke ground about a year ago, extracts heat from a depth of about 2900 meters. A total of 28 medium-depth geothermal wells were drilled and outfitted with coaxial heat exchangers. This systems delivers a total heating area of approximately 580,000 square meters. Compared to shallow ground source heat pump systems, the medium-depth system features a smaller footprint, more stable operations, and a higher energy efficiency.
“The official commissioning of the geothermal heating project at the Shenyang production base is a significant milestone in forward-looking energy supply, jointly established by BMW and its partners from the government and industry. We are very proud that it can make a long-term contribution to resource conservation,” commented a BMW Group representative during the ceremony.
Shenyang is an industrial hub that also experiences long winter heating seasons and a high dependence on traditional energy sources typical of northern China cities. Thus, the geothermal heating project is a blueprint for the region. It also contributes to the development of the Shenyang Sino-German Industrial Park’s zero-carbon industrial park.
The geothermal heating project is considered by the BMW Group as a key component of the company’s goal of building a diversified renewable energy matrix. BMW is also exploring cross-industry collaborations in wind power development, as well as commercial applications of hydrogen energy.
Source: Chinadaily.com.cn and The People’s Government of Liaoning Province
