Jiangsu’s first underground sealed cavern oil reserve facility completed the excavation of its main chamber in Lianyungang successfully

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Recently, the excavation of the main chamber for Jiangsu’s first groundwater-sealed cavern-type oil reserve facility was successfully completed in Lianyungang. It is expected to be finished and put into use by early 2026, marking the practical application of the research results regarding the precise location selection for energy reserve facilities in deep underground spaces in our province. Shi Yadong, a senior engineer at the Jiangsu Provincial Institute of Geological Survey, explained that as part of the strategy to promote the development of Jiangsu’s coastal areas, the project titled \"Comprehensive Geological Survey of Jiangsu’s Coastal Region\", carried out through cooperation between the provincial and national authorities, revealed for the first time that the Lianyungang area possesses unique geological characteristics suitable for the construction of underground rock caverns. It was determined that 296 square kilometers in this area are suitable for such constructions; after thorough evaluation from various perspectives, an area of 10.49 square kilometers was identified as suitable for the use of rock formations, with an estimated total storage capacity of 48 million cubic meters. He explained that the main chamber is the core oil storage space of an underground water-sealed reservoir; it is a large underground cavern created artificially within stable rock formations, acting as the \"giant oil tank\" of an underground oil storage facility. Its scale directly determines the reservoir’s oil storage capacity, and it must also meet strict engineering requirements regarding impermeability, compressive strength, and safety protection. Shi Yadong said that the results of this site selection have been incorporated into various important plans, including the \"Jiangsu Coastal Region Development Plan (2021–2025)\), thereby laying a solid foundation for subsequent construction work. Large petrochemical enterprises in Lianyungang are seizing this opportunity to build an underground oil storage facility with a capacity of 1.2 million cubic meters in suitable locations. The project adopts an integrated design that combines above-ground and below-ground spaces, which allows for the saving of over 800 mu of land compared to traditional above-ground storage facilities. It offers advantages in terms of safety and environmental protection; the stone material resulting from the excavation has a potential economic value of tens of millions of yuan, and the annual revenue is expected to exceed 300 million yuan once the facility is completed. “The completion of the excavation of the main chamber represents a key milestone in the project’s development. It not only ensures **energy strategic security** but also opens up new possibilities for the development of deep underground space in Jiangsu. ”Shi Yadong said that the preliminary survey and design work for the water-sealing cavern storage project in Xuwu New Area has been completed. The province is exploring new approaches to deep-earth development in various fields such as salt cave utilization and carbon dioxide sequestration; in the future, more underground spaces will be utilized, thereby providing additional momentum for Jiangsu’s development.