(2) Environmentally friendly coal production
The principle of clean coal should be followed and
new technologies like water-preserved mining and
cut-and-fill mining promoted to reduce land collapse in worked-out sections. Land rehabilitation
efforts should be increased and ecological recovery
and governance technologies deployed. Quality
coal processing technologies should be widely
used to improve coal washing and dressing.
(3) Improve integrated coal production
To make coal production efficient, significant
improvements should be made in: (i) the recovery
rate of integrated coal resources with gas and water
extraction; (ii) the comprehensive reuse of coal
gangue and mine water; and (iii) the coalbed
methane recovery rate. Efficient coal mining technologies should be deployed to raise the level of
mechanisation and automation. Gas, water and other
resources should be extracted during mining to make
coal recovery cost-effective and sustainable.
(2) Oil and gas revolution
(1) Unplug technical bottlenecks in the exploration
and development of unconventional oil and gas
Priority should be given to accelerating the
exploration and development of tight oil and gas
and to making breakthroughs in super-lateral
well drilling and multistage fracturing technologies. Coalbed methane (CBM) exploration and
development should be promoted and advances
in various emerging technologies made to enable
CBM extraction to shift from high-quality
reservoirs to deeper, more complex strata.
(2) Develop deep and ultra-deep offshore oil and
gas at scale
Strong efforts should be made to solve such difficult
challenges as identifying deep reservoir targets,
working at high temperatures and in complex
lithology, and extracting oil and gas from deep
carbonate, clastic and volcanic rock. Offshore oil
and gas engineering equipment and technologies
should be developed, as should semi-submersible
drilling and production platforms and subsea production systems to speed up the exploration and
extraction of deep-sea oil and gas.
(3) Promote clean oil and gas development
A blueprint for oil and gas field construction should
be drawn up to minimise field footprint and reduce
oil and gas losses. Waste collection, treatment and
disposal should be centralised. Environmental
impact assessments (EIA) should be carried out
when decommissioning oil and gas fields, and
ecological recovery made in accordance with the
EIA results. The sealing processes in oil and gas
collection and transmission should be strengthened
to reduce gas emissions. An EIA and information
disclosure system should be created to strengthen
supervision and ensure environmentally friendly
oil and gas development.
7.1.2 Non-fossil Energy Revolution
The non-fossil energy revolution refers mainly to
renewable energy and nuclear power. For renewable
energy, it means increasing the share of renewables
in the energy mix. For nuclear power, it means safety
and substituting nuclear for fossil energy.
(1) Renewable energy revolution
(1) Protect the environment and deliver the
hydropower development goal
Large hydropower stations should be built to
deliver the hydropower development goal, on the
understanding that strict environmental protection requirements are met and displaced people
relocated correctly.
(2) Construct support facilities to develop wind
power in an orderly way
At the introductory stage of wind power development, onshore and offshore wind power should
be complementary. Priority should be given to
wind power development in north, north-east and
north-west China, eastern coastal China and
areas with medium and low wind speed. At the
mid-developmental stage, equal focus should be
placed on developing onshore and offshore
resources. And at the mature stage, offshore wind
power should be fed into load centres.
(3) Use different solar technologies to ensure
solar power generation is optimised for local
conditions
In desert areas with abundant solar energy in
west and north China, solar power development
Special Report 1: A Study of China’s Energy Supply Revolution
175
The principle of clean coal should be followed and
new technologies like water-preserved mining and
cut-and-fill mining promoted to reduce land collapse in worked-out sections. Land rehabilitation
efforts should be increased and ecological recovery
and governance technologies deployed. Quality
coal processing technologies should be widely
used to improve coal washing and dressing.
(3) Improve integrated coal production
To make coal production efficient, significant
improvements should be made in: (i) the recovery
rate of integrated coal resources with gas and water
extraction; (ii) the comprehensive reuse of coal
gangue and mine water; and (iii) the coalbed
methane recovery rate. Efficient coal mining technologies should be deployed to raise the level of
mechanisation and automation. Gas, water and other
resources should be extracted during mining to make
coal recovery cost-effective and sustainable.
(2) Oil and gas revolution
(1) Unplug technical bottlenecks in the exploration
and development of unconventional oil and gas
Priority should be given to accelerating the
exploration and development of tight oil and gas
and to making breakthroughs in super-lateral
well drilling and multistage fracturing technologies. Coalbed methane (CBM) exploration and
development should be promoted and advances
in various emerging technologies made to enable
CBM extraction to shift from high-quality
reservoirs to deeper, more complex strata.
(2) Develop deep and ultra-deep offshore oil and
gas at scale
Strong efforts should be made to solve such difficult
challenges as identifying deep reservoir targets,
working at high temperatures and in complex
lithology, and extracting oil and gas from deep
carbonate, clastic and volcanic rock. Offshore oil
and gas engineering equipment and technologies
should be developed, as should semi-submersible
drilling and production platforms and subsea production systems to speed up the exploration and
extraction of deep-sea oil and gas.
(3) Promote clean oil and gas development
A blueprint for oil and gas field construction should
be drawn up to minimise field footprint and reduce
oil and gas losses. Waste collection, treatment and
disposal should be centralised. Environmental
impact assessments (EIA) should be carried out
when decommissioning oil and gas fields, and
ecological recovery made in accordance with the
EIA results. The sealing processes in oil and gas
collection and transmission should be strengthened
to reduce gas emissions. An EIA and information
disclosure system should be created to strengthen
supervision and ensure environmentally friendly
oil and gas development.
7.1.2 Non-fossil Energy Revolution
The non-fossil energy revolution refers mainly to
renewable energy and nuclear power. For renewable
energy, it means increasing the share of renewables
in the energy mix. For nuclear power, it means safety
and substituting nuclear for fossil energy.
(1) Renewable energy revolution
(1) Protect the environment and deliver the
hydropower development goal
Large hydropower stations should be built to
deliver the hydropower development goal, on the
understanding that strict environmental protection requirements are met and displaced people
relocated correctly.
(2) Construct support facilities to develop wind
power in an orderly way
At the introductory stage of wind power development, onshore and offshore wind power should
be complementary. Priority should be given to
wind power development in north, north-east and
north-west China, eastern coastal China and
areas with medium and low wind speed. At the
mid-developmental stage, equal focus should be
placed on developing onshore and offshore
resources. And at the mature stage, offshore wind
power should be fed into load centres.
(3) Use different solar technologies to ensure
solar power generation is optimised for local
conditions
In desert areas with abundant solar energy in
west and north China, solar power development
Special Report 1: A Study of China’s Energy Supply Revolution
175