Abundant geothermal resources have been verified in the Yellow River delta, with underground hot water resources capable of being tapped for at least 100 years, according to China Water Resources News.

Specialists have recently approved the report on investigation of geothermal resources in the Yellow River delta. The Shandong Prospecting Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, entrusted by the Shandong Provincial Land and Resources Department, spent more than a year ascertaining the extent of the geothermal resources in the Yellow River delta. Its experts came up with a figure equal to the energy produced by 12.479 billion tons of standard coal. The underground hot water deposits alone amount to 459.689 billion cubic meters, of which over 75 billion cubic meters are available to use over a period of at least 100 years.

Geothermal energy is regarded as clean energy for its high heat efficiency and non-polluting factors. Already used in medical treatment and bathing, geothermal energy can also replace thermal-power plants to provide heat and water.

During decades of petroleum prospecting in the delta, a lot of geothermal wells with hot springs of middle or low temperature (50-70 degrees centigrade), have been discovered 1,000-1,500 meters underground. However, due to the huge input required and scarcity of knowledge, these resources have not been fully exploited.

(china.org.cn by Zhang Tingting, August 31, 2002)