At the historic milestone of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union, the case of China-Iceland Geothermal Joint Venture was listed as one of the showcases of China-EU energy cooperation. This recognition underscores SGE’s pioneering role in advancing the high-quality development of the geothermal industry and reflects the strong endorsement by Chinese and European experts of the technological sophistication and social benefits of China’s new energy projects.
The “China-Iceland Geothermal Joint Venture” has developed the China’s first Waste-to-Energy Power Plant Cascading Utilizing Residential Heating Project, as well as the Integrated “Centralized Production, Transmission, and Reinjection” Geothermal Project.
The Waste-to-Energy Power Plant Cascading Utilizing Residential Heating Project is located in Dongli District of Tianjin, and was officially put into operation in the 2024 heating season. By replacing gas heating with a combined “geothermal + waste heat” system, the project provides a total heating capacity of 150 MW, meeting the heating needs of 5 million sqm of buildings in the Dabeizhuang area. The project can save 30 million cubic meters of natural gas and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 93,300 tons in each heating season.
The largest Integrated “Centralized Production, Transmission, and Reinjection” Geothermal Project is located in Xiong’an New Area of Hebei, and was officially put into operation in the 2024 heating season. Adopting the “Centralized Production, Transmission, and Reinjection” model and digital geothermal field management and technological innovation, it achieves four stability—“stable reservoir pressure, stable production and reinjection balance, stable transmission pipeline network, and stable heating coupling.” This pioneering project marks the China’s first large-scale, mid-to-deep geothermal project with long-distance transmission, providing 6 million sqm of clean heating for Xiong’an high-speed rail district. Its model sets a precedent for geothermal projects in in both Xiong’an and across the country.
The selection of the first batch of exemplary China-EU energy cooperation showcases was guided by China’s National Energy Administration and jointly organized by the China-EU Energy Technology Innovation Cooperation Office (Electric Power Planning & Engineering Institute) and the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. In totally, 19 projects, 8 in operation and 11 under construction, have been selected spanning 12 European countries, including Finland, the UK, France, and Germany, covering key areas such as hydrogen energy, smart energy, new energy storage, and offshore wind power, the selected cases fully demonstrates the multidimensional, in-depth, and high-standard level of China-EU energy cooperation.