Geothermal resource distribution and prospects for development and utilization in China

Abstract

China is tectonically composed of a series of plates and orogenic belts and has been influenced by the Pacific and Indian plates since the Late Paleozoic, forming a regular distribution of Mesozoic and Cenozoic granites. As an important source of geothermal energy, granite is the five elements of geothermal enrichment:geothermal sources; geothermal reservoirs; heat transmission; heat caprock; and heat preservation and it is possible to classify the types of geothermal resources in China according to their distribution in combination with neotectonic movements. China's geothermal energy can be divided into hydrothermal and hot dry rock types in basins and orogenic belts, respectively. Geothermal resources can be divided into hydrothermal, rock, magma, and hybrid geothermal types according to the heat carrier type. Basin geothermal resources are dominated by hydrothermal types, while geothermal energy in orogenic belts with granite includes both hydrothermal and hot dry rock types. Geothermal resources in China can be divided into 6 distinct geothermal regions and 13 subregions, of which the Southwest and Southeast China regions and the Qaidam-Qilian and Jiaoliao subregions in North China with Mesozoic and Cenozoic granites are the most favorable areas for high-temperature hydrothermal and hot dry rock sources. China has complex geological conditions, diverse types of geothermal resources, and broad prospects for development and utilization. Having performed extensive shallow hydrothermal geothermal development and utilization and completed various power generation tests, China's geothermal development and utilization is in a critical stage of transition from the direct utilization of shallow hydrothermal resources to high-temperature geothermal or hot dry rock power generation in middle and deep layers. Basic theoretical research, key technology breakthroughs, and policy incentives are the main issues that need to be addressed in the geothermal industry.