On May 17, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources unveiled the “Implementation Guide of the 14th Five-Year Plan for Beijing Geological Survey (2024-2025)” (“Implementation Guide” hereinafter). Building on previous work, this plan outlines seven categories comprising over 70 geological projects. The plan allows for dynamic annual adjustments to the project list based on circumstances to align with the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan.

Entrusted by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources and organized by the Beijing Institute of Geological Survey Technology, this Implementation Guide follows the “Beijing Urban Master Plan (2016-2035).” It aims to implement President Xi Jinping’s instructions on post-disaster reconstruction following the July-23 catastrophic rainstorm, and aligns with major strategic deployments of the municipal government and the Commission’s annual key tasks. The projects address recent requirements for resilient cities, ecological restoration, ecological safety, mineral resources, and geological disaster prevention, further refining Beijing’s urban geological framework and enhancing geological safety.

The seven major categories of geological projects focus on critical areas such as urban master plan implementation, urban health assessment, natural resource survey and monitoring, ecological protection and restoration of landscapes, underground space development, and construction of resilient, ecological, green, and smart cities. These efforts will help promote the transformation and application of geological sci-techs, and support Beijing’s high-quality development in the following key areas of focus:

Basic Geological Survey: Aligning with national and municipal strategic priorities, projects in this field support the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the management and planning of Beijing’s land space. Efforts include comprehensive geological surveys in key planning areas and assessments of geological conditions for major engineering projects.

Energy and Strategic Mineral Resources Survey: Focusing on the protection and management of strategic mineral resources and the “Green Beijing” initiative, this category of survey promotes mineral resource exploration and evaluation, clean and low-carbon energy development, shallow geothermal energy advancement, and medium-deep geothermal resource utilization. These actions aim to optimize urban energy structures, increase the proportion of clean renewable energy, reduce carbon emissions, and help Beijing achieve its “dual carbon” goals.

Hydrogeological and Water Resources Survey: Adhering to the principles of water-centric and water-determined city planning, this area aims to build a water-ecological safety framework. Surveys focus on groundwater regulation and storage, water pollution prevention, water ecological protection, and sponge city construction, with enhanced groundwater monitoring to manage potential risks to underground structures.

Geological Disaster Risk Survey and Monitoring: Emphasizing the principles of prioritizing people and life, surveys in this field integrate President Xi Jinping’s instructions on resilient city construction. The approach combines rapid and gradual geological disaster prevention, with an integrated monitoring system for mountains and plains. Efforts include post-disaster reconstruction following the July-23 rainstorm and improvements in disaster prevention, monitoring, and emergency response systems to enhance urban resilience.

 Ecological Geological Survey: Guided by the principle that “green mountains and clear waters are as invaluable assets,” this category of surveys promote ecological civilization in the capital. It develops ecological geological survey methods and integrates these efforts into the comprehensive governance of landscapes, providing technical support for ecological protection, non-construction space management, soil and water pollution prevention, and mine environment restoration.

 Information Construction and Data Services: Implementing the digital China strategy and smart city requirements, this effort aims at building a digital geological system, driving digital transformation and upgrading. It enhances data collection, management, updates, and analysis capabilities, improving 3D geological, digital geological, and intelligent geological services in the big data era.

 Geological Science and Technology Innovation: Strengthening Beijing’s position as a national center for technological innovation, this area emphasizes innovation-driven development in geology. Leveraging the Ministry of Natural Resources’ key laboratory for shallow geothermal energy, it aims to achieve breakthroughs in urban geological theory, methodologies, and key technologies, accelerating the implementation of forward-looking geological science projects to enhance independent innovation capabilities and establish a national benchmark for urban geological science and technology innovation.

Beijing Institute of Geological Survey Technology 

June 3, 2024