China’s geothermal district heating development shows how quickly renewable heat can scale when backed by the right combination of policy, investment, and planning. Its projects offer valuable lessons for any country aiming to replace fossil fuels with clean, reliable, and locally sourced heat.
From coal to clean heat
China has experienced one of the fastest transitions to geothermal district heating worldwide. Over the last two decades, the country has invested heavily in replacing coal-fired boilers – a major source of urban air pollution – with clean, renewable heat from geothermal sources.
This shift is part of China’s broader strategy to cut carbon emissions, improve urban air quality, and strengthen energy independence. Today, China is a large and growing geothermal heating market.
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Scale and reach
According to Sinopec, China’s geothermal heating systems now cover ~120 million m2, and China’s geothermal district heating is expanding across dozens of cities. The scale is huge – in some provinces, geothermal now supplies a significant share of urban heating demand.
Key projects include:
Xiong’an new area
Planned as a flagship eco-city, Xiong’an integrates geothermal energy into its heating network from the start. Wells tap into low- to medium-temperature aquifers, and large-scale heat pumps raise the temperature for district heating supply. This combination ensures high efficiency and minimal environmental impact.
Tianjin
Tianjin has one of the most extensive geothermal district heating networks in the country, with dozens of well pairs supplying heat to residential and commercial areas. The city benefits from favourable geology and has steadily expanded its system since the early 2000s.
Hebei Province
Hebei has leveraged geothermal to tackle severe winter air pollution. Local authorities have supported rapid deployment, and geothermal is now a key part of the province’s clean heat programme.
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How the systems work
Most Chinese geothermal projects use doublet well systems: one well produces hot water from deep underground aquifers, while the other reinjects the cooled water to maintain reservoir pressure. Large-scale heat pumps are commonly used to lift output temperature to match the district heating network’s requirements.
Many networks in northern China are low-temperature-optimised, which makes geothermal even more efficient, as less temperature lift is required.
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Environmental and social benefits
The environmental gains from China’s geothermal expansion are significant:
- Major CO₂ reductions from replacing coal-based heating.
- Substantial air quality improvements, reducing smog in the winter months.
- Local job creation in drilling, system operation, and maintenance.
For residents, geothermal heat offers stable prices and a more comfortable indoor climate than coal boilers, without the smoke and dust.
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Policy and investment drivers
China’s success is rooted in strong policy support, including subsidies for exploration and drilling, as well as mandates for clean heat in urban areas. Local governments often partner with national energy companies to finance large-scale projects, reducing investment risk.
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Lessons for other countries
- Large-scale deployment is possible when supported by clear policy targets and public-private cooperation.
- Integrating geothermal into urban planning from the start – as in Xiong’an – maximises efficiency and minimises costs.
- Low-temperature network design makes geothermal more viable in moderate resource areas.
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Recent key sources on geothermal / heat-use in China
- A 2024 paper, “Renewable energy and waste heat recovery in district heating systems,” reports that by 2021, the total area heated/cooled by geothermal (and shallow geothermal) systems in China had reached ≈ 1.33 billion m². ScienceDirect
- A 2025 industry report from Sinopec claims their geothermal district-heating capacity in China had expanded to cover 120 million m² by end-2024 (up from 50 million m² in 2019). ThinkGeoEnergy
- A 2020 review article, “Geothermal energy in China: Status, challenges, and policy recommendations,” outlines the country’s abundant geothermal resources and the growing role of geothermal heating in urban energy supply. ResearchGate
- A 2023 paper on district heating in China nevertheless shows that a large share of DH systems still rely on coal or conventional heat sources – meaning geothermal remains only a part of the overall supply, not a full replacement. E3S Conferences