A few days ago, the Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission released the "Notice of the Anhui Provincial Development and Reform Commission on Announcing the Results of Approval, Acceptance and Evaluation of the Engineering Research Center (Engineering Laboratory) in 2021". Under the leadership of Yuan Liang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the platform "Research Center for Development and Utilization of Closed/Abandoned Mine Resources in Anhui Province" jointly declared by Anhui University of Science and Technology, Institute of Energy of Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center and National Engineering and Technology Research Institute of Coal Mining was successfully approved. 

Guided by the major demand of the new national energy security strategy, the Center has grasped the development opportunity to achieve the goal of "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" and systematically explored the comprehensive development and utilization model of coal and associated resources and above-ground and underground space after the closure of coal mines based on the concept of green development of coal resources throughout the life cycle. The Center will focus on four research directions, namely, ecological environment restoration of closed/abandoned mines, underground carbon storage, pumped storage and energy storage, geothermal and coal-bed methane development technology and application, and one expansion direction - the closed/ abandoned mine surface photovoltaic wind power generation.

The successful approval of the provincial scientific research platform "Research Center for Development and Utilization of Closed/Abandoned Mine Resources in Anhui Province" is a full affirmation of the effectiveness of the cooperation between institutes and universities, and plays a vital role in improving the scientific research level, academic exchanges and high-level personnel training of all parties. The parties to the cooperation will take this opportunity to complement each other's advantages and win-win cooperation, increase investment, innovate management mechanism, strengthen cooperation in major projects, transformation of scientific and technological achievements and industrial development, follow up the implementation plan for the construction of "Three Areas and One Zone" in Anhui Province in an all-round way, and continuously nurture and spawn new technological models.