China to step up geothermal energy development in clean heating push

China will actively expand the use of geothermal energy, Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing told a conference on Friday, as the world's biggest energy consumer seeks to adopt cleaner sources of power for heating.

In a statement carried by Reuters, Zhang said that China will also increase the scale of wind and solar power projects, while also safely advancing nuclear power plant construction.

Sinopec plans to add 75 million square metres of geothermal heating area in order to reach a target of 160 million square metres by the end of 2025, Ma Yongsheng, chairman of state-owned refiner Sinopec, said at the same conference.

The company already has a geothermal capacity of over 85 million square metres after 11 years of development, added Ma.

Clean power sources in northern China, including geothermal, have contributed to improving air quality, said Zhang Jianhua, Director of the National Energy Administration of China.

China's National Energy Administration has proposed increasing the geothermal heating-cooling area by 50 percent in the five years from 2020 as well as doubling the geothermal power generation capacity.

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