On August 6, the Beijing Key Laboratory for Efficient Geothermal Development and Smart Energy Supply was inaugurated at China University of Petroleum-Beijing (CUPB), where the first meeting of its inaugural Academic Committee was also held.

The laboratory is led by CUPB and jointly established with the Beijing Institute of Engineering Geology, Sinopec New Energy Research Institute and Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology. Li Gensheng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Sun Huanquan, also an academician and chair of the laboratory’s Academic Committee, attended the inauguration.

The laboratory’s establishment marks a new stage of platform-based and institutionalized collaboration between Sinopec and CUPB in the development of deep geothermal resources.

Led by CUPB, the laboratory draws on the university’s academic strengths in petroleum and geothermal energy, Sinopec New Energy Research Institute’s industrial expertise in deep geothermal resource assessment and development, and the technical capabilities of the Beijing Institute of Engineering Geology and Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology in geological engineering and smart energy supply. Together, these strengths provide comprehensive research and development capabilities spanning basic research and engineering applications.

Wang Tongqi, secretary of the CPC CUPB Committee, said in his address that innovation in efficient geothermal development and smart energy supply is important to China’s energy transition, its carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, and Beijing’s green development. He said the university would pool its resources to support the laboratory and deepen collaboration among industry, academia, research institutions and end users.

Wang Chenguang, director of the Changping District Science and Technology Commission, noted that Changping, as a major center for scientific and technological innovation and an important hub for energy innovation in Beijing, would strongly support the laboratory, accelerate geothermal technology development and promote the local application of research outcomes.

Academicians Take Leading Roles on Academic Committee

Li Gensheng and Sun Huanquan attended the inauguration ceremony. Wang Tongqi, Li Gensheng, Sun Huanquan, Xiao Zhisong, He Yunyan and Wang Chenguang jointly unveiled the laboratory. On behalf of CUPB, Wang presented Sun with his appointment certificate as chair of the Academic Committee and issued appointment certificates to the committee’s deputy chairs and members.

Li is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the National Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Resources and Engineering. He has long conducted research into oil and gas drilling and completion theories and technologies, as well as geothermal resource development. During this year’s annual sessions of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee, he proposed incorporating geothermal development and utilization into China’s 15th Five-Year Plan.

Sun is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief scientist at Sinopec. He has long focused on the theories and technologies of oil, gas and geothermal development and has published numerous papers on geothermal exploration and development in journals including Earth Science Frontiers.

Following the inauguration, Sun chaired the first meeting of the laboratory’s inaugural Academic Committee. Huang Zhongwei, deputy director of the National Key Laboratory of Deep Geothermal Enrichment Mechanisms and Efficient Development, presented a report on the progress of CUPB’s national key laboratory for deep geothermal energy. Song Xianzhi, director of the Beijing key laboratory and dean of CUPB’s College of Petroleum Engineering, presented its development plan. The participating experts acknowledged the laboratory’s progress and offered recommendations for its future development.

Geothermal energy is a stable and reliable renewable energy source with enormous resource potential. China has abundant medium- and deep-layer geothermal resources, but their exploration and development remain relatively limited, and critical technological bottlenecks have yet to be overcome.

The new laboratory will combine Li’s team’s technical expertise in geothermal drilling, completion and reservoir stimulation with Sun’s team’s industrial experience in evaluating and developing medium- and deep-layer geothermal resources. This will create a collaborative innovation model integrating university-based fundamental research with enterprise-led engineering application.

Focusing on efficient geothermal development and smart energy supply, the laboratory responds to Beijing’s need for a clean, low-carbon, secure and efficient energy system. As its development advances, the laboratory is expected to achieve breakthroughs in deep geothermal resource assessment, enhanced geothermal systems, reservoir stimulation, and smart energy supply integrating geothermal energy with complementary energy sources. These advances will provide technical support for the high-quality development of the geothermal industry in Beijing and across China.