Environmental Impact of Geothermal Development in Tianjin, China

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has played an important role in environmental protection, especially in developing countries. It is an aid to decision-making and to the minimization or elimination of environmental impacts at an early planning stage. For geothermal energy, which currently plays an important part as a clean energy supply, a well-prepared Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) can significantly minimize or eliminate the environmental impacts at an early planning stage. For the sustainable development of geothermal resources, at present, many countries have developed their own EIA systems as applied to energy. Geothermal resources are rich in Tianjin, China and are already widely utilized, providing considerable economic and environmental benefits. From the 1970s to the end of 2003, more than 200 geothermal wells have been drilled in Tianjin and used for space heating, bathing and other use. This has brought great benefit to urban air quality improvement and economic development. In this report, the benefits of geothermal development, environmental impacts, mitigation methods, and measures to promote geothermal sustainable development in Tianjin are discussed.