Inner Mongolia launches first laboratory for underground energy storage

North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region began construction on its first regional key laboratory dedicated to underground energy storage on April 2, marking a step toward advancing its energy transition and resource reuse.

The laboratory, located in Ordos city and backed by CHN Energy Shendong Coal Group, will focus on utilizing abandoned mine spaces to support innovative energy storage solutions.

The facility will prioritize research in gravity-based, compressed-air, and pumped-storage technologies by exploring the transformation of disused mine shafts and tunnels into storage facilities, aiming to help address challenges in integrating renewable energy into the grid.

With capabilities spanning basic research to engineering applications, the laboratory is expected to fill a key gap in Inner Mongolia's energy innovation system.

Over the next five years, the lab plans to invest about 10 million yuan ($1.46 million) annually and build a 7,000-square-meter innovation platform.