Challenges to sustainable large- scale shale gas development in China

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Wu, Jian; Tan, Jingqiang; Xu, Jinqi; Li, Lei; Beroza, Gregory C.; Mumford, Kevin G.; van de Ven, Cole; Chen, Baixi; Elsworth, Derek
• 署名单位: Central South University; University of Sydney; Central South University; Stanford University; Queens University - Canada; Carleton University; Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE); University of Pittsburgh; Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE); Pennsylvania State University; Pennsylvania State University - University Park; Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE); Pennsylvania State University; Pennsylvania State University - University Park
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-12234
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2415192122
• 发表日期: 2025-05-06
• 关键词: natural-gas; induced seismicity; sichuan basin; water-consumption; power-generation; ghg emissions; methane; contamination; footprint; impacts

摘要

China's shale gas production has grown annually by 21% since 2017 with long-term national energy strategy calling for continued expansion. This large-scale shale gas development is challenged by constraints on water supply. It requires over 6,000 new wells to be drilled within the Yangtze River Basin in South China-one of China's most populated regions with sensitive ecological and geological conditions, posing significant environmental threats to the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Hydraulic fracturing-induced seismicity also adds to the existing earthquake risk for the Sichuan/Chongqing region. These potential negative impacts challenge both China's and the United Nations' sustainable development goals. We explore China's current shale gas operations in the Yangtze River Basin and their interaction with the environment from these multiple perspectives. We then suggest future improvements to practice that will promote sustainable development to jointly satisfy China's burgeoning energy needs. We conclude that China's shale gas industry would benefit from an innovation ecosystem that involves companies and research institutions, and that there is an urgent need to implement environmental regulations for shale gas extraction.