China will push forward the industrialization of flammable ice development this year, including stepping up construction of the trial mining site in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea, said an official with China Geological Survey (CGS) under the Ministry of Land and Resources, China Economic Net reported on Jan. 24.

Survey of shale gas along the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the demonstration project of the exploration of 10 billion cubic meters shale gas west of central China’s Hubei province will also be advanced, said Wang Yan, deputy director of CGS, during a conference.

Exploration of geothermal fields will also be stepped up in major areas such as Beijing, Tianjin, and the new economic zone Xiongan New Area. Oil and natural gas resources in the Tarim Basin and other potentially gas- and oil-rich areas will also be further exploited, Wang said.

Exploration of other resources will also be deepened and key technological issues will be tackled during the process.

All of these actions will be guided by a green principle, Wang said, under which the amount of resources, economic and technological conditions, and environmental impact will be carefully evaluated. Meanwhile, the country’s marine geology surveys will be strengthened.