Inner Mongolia's Rare Earth Compound Output Increased by More Than 9% in January-February 2025

According to the Baotou Industry and Information Bureau, from January to February 2025, the industrial added value of large-scale enterprises in Inner Mongolia grew by 5.8% year-on-year. By major industry categories, the mining sector saw a 2.5% increase in added value, manufacturing grew by 10.3%, and the production and supply of electricity, heat, gas, and water rose by 7.1%. In terms of specific products, raw coal output reached 207 million tons, up 2.0%; power generation totaled 135.98 billion kilowatt-hours, up 1.2%. Notably, renewable energy generation amounted to 41.35 billion kilowatt-hours, surging by 35.5%, while the production of monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, and rare earth compounds increased by 43.5%, 47.8%, and 9.5%, respectively.

It is particularly noteworthy that from January to February 2025, the added value of Baotou City’s rare earth industry grew by 8.0% year-on-year. Together with the three flagship industries—crystalline silicon photovoltaics and onshore wind power equipment—these sectors drove a 7.4 percentage point increase in the added value of large-scale industries, contributing 46.1% to the overall growth of large-scale industrial output. In terms of production, Baotou City’s rare earth compound output rose by 9.6%, and rare earth magnetic material production surged by 66.2% during the same period.

According to CTIA GROUP LTD, Inner Mongolia is a region rich in rare earth resources in China, with the majority concentrated in the Bayan Obo mining area of Baotou City. Online data indicates that the Bayan Obo mining area has proven reserves of rare earth oxides totaling 43 million tons, with a resource base approaching 100 million tons. Furthermore, according to the latest research from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the potential rare earth resources within 1,000 meters of the surface at Bayan Obo are estimated at 330 million tons, far exceeding the currently reported reserves.

The Bayan Obo deposit can be categorized into three types: niobium-rare earth-iron, niobium-rare earth, and niobium ores. The niobium-rare earth-iron type is further pided into subtypes such as massive niobium-rare earth-iron, fluorite-rare earth-iron, aegirine-rare earth-iron, dolomite-rare earth-iron, and biotite-rare earth-iron ores. These ores contain an average of 0.126%-0.141% Nb₂O₅ and 0.8%-8.16% rare earth oxides. The western part of the deposit has slightly lower rare earth metal content compared to the main and eastern parts, with an average of 0.064% Nb₂O₅ and 0.948%-1.072% rare earth oxides.

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