SHENYANG - German carmaker BMW Group's joint venture in China on Monday kicked off a geothermal energy project aimed at realizing 100 percent non-fossil energy heating for its factories in Shenyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning province.

Under the project, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd (BBA) will drill 28 medium-deep geothermal wells, which will be completed and provide a total heating area of approximately 580,000 square meters by the 2025 heating season.

"We believe that investing in sustainable development is investing in the future. Starting today, our exploration of geothermal energy has entered a new chapter," said Dai Hexuan, president and CEO of BBA.

Geothermal energy is a stable and low-carbon form of renewable energy with large reserves and widespread distribution in China.

In the geothermal energy project, BBA is expected to adopt a number of industry-leading technologies to collect the energy at a depth of approximately 2,900 meters underground in a pollution-free and zero-emission manner.

The energy exploration will be carried in an enclosed process. The project is expected to achieve an annual carbon emission reduction of 18,000 tons, the company said.

BMW has been increasing its investment in Shenyang in recent years. In November 2023, BBA completed the construction of the main building of a new battery production plant, with a total investment of 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion). The geothermal energy will be mainly used to supply winter heating in the factory and the company's assembly plant.