Recently, the 2025 International Workshop on Underground Oil/Gas Storage (IWUOGS 2025) was held in Qingdao, Shandong Province. This Workshop was co-hosted by NEU, CNOOC Petrochemical Engineering Co., Ltd., and the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering. Co-organizers comprised CNOOC Petrochemical Engineering Co., Ltd., NEU Institute of Deep Engineering and Intelligent Technology, the School of Resources and Civil Engineering, the State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Mining and Equipment for Deep Metal Mines, the Design Methods Committee of the International Society for Rock Mechanics, the Rock Engineering Design Methods Branch of the Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering, Liaoning Provincial Engineering Research Center for Underground Oil and Gas Storage, and Shandong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Underground Oil and Gas Storage. The event attracted over 200 Chinese and international experts and scholars from China, the United States, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Korea, Australia and other countries. Academician Feng Xiating of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of NEU, and Academician Derek Elsworth of the National Academy of Engineering jointly served as the Co-chairs of the Workshop.
At the opening ceremony, Zhang Xiao, Chairman of CNOOC Petrochemical Engineering Co., Ltd., and Academician Derek Elsworth delivered a speech respectively, jointly emphasizing the importance of technological innovation and international cooperation in oil and gas storage against the backdrop of the global energy transition. The opening ceremony featured the unveiling ceremony of research achievements including the industry standard "Technical Specifications for Monitoring and Measurement of Groundwater-Sealed Caverns" developed under the leadership of NEU, and the specialized equipment "Convection-Diffusion Parameter Borehole Tester" developed by NEU.
The Workshop featured six keynote presentations, thirteen plenary sessions, and nineteen parallel sessions on topics including "New Theories and Technologies for Underground Oil and Gas Storage," "Reliability Design Techniques for Underground Oil and Gas Reservoirs," "Fine Survey Technologies for Underground Oil and Gas Reservoirs," "Monitoring of Underground Oil and Gas Reservoirs," and "Testing and Experimental Technologies." Professor Wang Zhechao from NEU Institute of Deep Engineering and Intelligent Technology served as the Chairman of the Academic Committee and delivered a plenary report titled "Seawater Intrusion into Underground Storage Caverns: Evaluation and Inhibition." Associate Professor Qiao Liping, Lecturer Liu Keqi, and Postdoctoral Researcher Li Wei from NEU also presented academic presentations at the Workshop, comprehensively showcasing NEU's research advancements in the field of underground energy storage.
The successful convening of this Workshop has enabled participants to gain a deeper understanding of the latest research advances and development trends of underground oil and gas storage worldwide. It has laid a solid foundation for achieving continuous breakthroughs in new theories and technologies for underground oil and gas storage.
