A geological survey carried out in China over a period of eight years has shown there's enough underground water to support the country's strategic development plan to construct energy bases in the Ordos Basin in the northwest, said geologists on December 12.

 

The Ordos Basin covers an area of 360,000 square kilometers and straddles Shaanxi, Gansu, and Shanxi provinces and the Ningxia Hui and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions. The region is rich in resources boasting 40 percent of the country's coal reserves, half the natural gas and 70 percent of the mineral salt containing natrium.

 

The Sulige gas field discovered in early 2001 in the basin is considered the largest in the country with estimated reserves of 600 billion cubic meters.

 

It was identified in 1998 as a state-level energy base in which five energy centers are to be constructed.

 

However, as it's located in the arid western region, water shortages became a problem, said Meng Xianlai, director of China Geological Survey. "Water is definitely one of the most important raw materials in any industry," Meng said. "It usually takes 11 tons of water to produce a ton of oil."

 

Water demand for both industrial and drinking use will be 7.1 billion cubic meters in 2010 and 9 billion cubic meters by 2030, he predicted.

 

Meng said the survey, costing in excess of 100 million yuan (US$12.8 million) and involving more than 500 experts, took eight years to complete and has successfully mapped out the extent of the underground water.

 

The survey found that the entire basin had an annual underground water supply reserve of 10.5 billion cubic meters of which 5.8 billion could be exploited per year. Currently only 1.1 billion cubic meters of underground water are exploited, Meng said. The survey also mapped out 161 water sources for future exploitation.

 

"Our preliminary evaluation shows that the combination of underground water and water on land can basically meet the water demand of the construction of the energy bases until 2030," he said.

 

The results of the survey have already been included in the short and long-term development plans of the above three provinces and two autonomous regions. "In collaboration with the governments of Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia we're busy conducting further studies into 30 spots that require to construct energy plants," he said.

 

Meng added that the unprecedented large-scale geological survey had also helped train many experts who could now make a contribution to the country's "go west" development strategy.

 

The survey also received the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) twice between 2001 and 2004. "IAEA considered the work as a pilot project to demonstrate the peaceful use of nuclear technology and the isotope research with the help of IAEA has assisted us to master the rules of movement of underground water in the basin," said Hou Guangcai, professor of Xi'an Center of Survey.

 

"The country's fast economic growth has made it imperative to meet its demand for energy," said Zhang Hongtao, deputy director of the survey. "But we need to do pre-geological surveys before we undertake any large-scale projects to ensure they won't become useless because of a lack of water."

 

(China Daily December 14, 2006)