Chinese scientists have extracted 236°C hot dry rock (HDR) 3,705 meters deep in the Gonghe basin in China’s northwestern Qinghai province, said state-owned broadcaster CCTV on Sept. 6.
This marks the first time that hot dry rock mass has been drilled out in China, and a significant breakthrough for the country’s HDR exploration.
The nation’s southeast coastal areas, Songliao Plain in the northeast, North China Plain and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region are key potential areas for exploration and development. The southern plateau, in particular, is said to hold resources of the largest in volume and highest in temperature.
HDR, buried 3,000 to 10,000 meters underground, is a dense, impermeable, high temperature rock without water or steam.