Chinese scientists propose turning abandoned coal mines into underground farms

Chinese scientists have proposed developing “underground agriculture” in abandoned coal mine tunnels as part of a push to create a green, circular economy for the country’s massive mining industry.

A team of researchers from Shanxi, a major coal-producing province in central China, described the idea late last month in the journal China Mining Magazine.

An estimated 15,000 abandoned mines in China are expected to close by 2030. Insulated from surface weather and natural disasters, these subterranean spaces offer unique advantages.

The researchers, based at the Shanxi Province Coal-based Resources Green and High-efficiency Development Engineering Centre, suggested that existing tunnels, power grids, ventilation systems and groundwater at these mines could be repurposed to support agricultural facilities.

“With climate change intensifying globally, the stability and sustainability of traditional land agricultural systems are facing severe challenges,” they wrote, adding that there was a lot of practical value in developing “closed-environment farming”.

The paper assesses whether critical factors – including light, temperature and water – could support these farming operations.