Sichuan Will Intensify Exploration of Rare Earth and Other Strategic Mineral Resources

Recently, the General Office of the Sichuan Provincial Government issued the "Several Opinions on Deepening the New Round of Mineral Exploration Breakthrough Strategic Action to Promote High-Quality Development of the Mining Industry" (hereinafter referred to as the "Several Opinions"), which emphasizes strengthening basic geological surveys of the Panzhihua copper-iron-rare earth mines; vigorously developing advantageous industries such as vanadium-titanium, rare earth, and lithium batteries; building internationally influential vanadium-titanium and rare earth industrial clusters and domestically leading lithium battery industry clusters; and establishing a production statistics system for strategic mineral resources such as vanadium-titanium, rare earth, lithium, and phosphorus, which are advantageous to Sichuan Province.

I. Optimizing Exploration Layout and Consolidating Mineral Exploration Foundation

(1) Strengthening Strategic and Planning Guidance: Deepen the construction of the Panzhihua Strategic Resource Innovation and Development Pilot Zone and the Southern Sichuan Shale Gas Exploration and Development Pilot Zone, accelerate the exploration and development of oil and gas resources in Northeast Sichuan, promote high-quality exploration and development of hard-rock lithium mines in Western Sichuan, and effectively enhance the secure supply capacity of strategic mineral resources.

(2) Strengthening Basic Geological Surveys: Formulate and implement the "Sichuan Province 1:50,000 Mineral Geological Survey Plan (2025–2030)," deploying a series of basic geological survey projects around key metallogenic belts such as gold-manganese mines in Northern Sichuan, potash salt in Eastern Sichuan, copper-iron-rare earth mines in Panzhihua, lead-zinc-copper mines in Southwestern Sichuan, and lithium-beryllium-tin-gold-copper mines in Western Sichuan. Focusing on delineating exploration targets and proposing blocks for allocation, these projects will conduct mineral geological surveys and key mineral evaluation, aiming to achieve or exceed the national average coverage rate of 1:50,000 mineral geological surveys in the province’s key metallogenic belts by 2030.

(3) Innovating Geological Survey Models: Support provincial geological survey units and mining enterprises in conducting "order-based" geological surveys of strategic minerals with self-raised funds without adding hidden local government debt; for survey projects with low participation willingness from social capital, encourage provincial enterprises to lead "crowd-funded" geological surveys of strategic minerals.

(4) Intensifying Exploration of Strategic Mineral Resources: Accelerate the exploration of important strategic mineral resources in the province, including petroleum, natural gas, shale gas, vanadium, titanium, phosphorus, lithium, gold, copper, and manganese.

II. Orderly Allocation of Mining Rights and Revitalizing the Mining Market

(5) Scientifically and Orderly Allocation of Mining Rights.

(6) Continuously Standardizing Mining Rights Management.

III. Strengthening Reserves and Utilization, Promoting Green Development

(7) Enhancing Provincial Mineral Resource Reserves.

(8) Improving the Comprehensive Utilization Level of Mineral Resources: Focus on key technological breakthroughs such as efficient separation of valuable elements from vanadium-titanium magnetite, titanium (rutile) beneficiation and metallurgy, deep brine lithium-potassium extraction, separation of associated elements from rare earth mines, flotation of medium- and low-grade phosphate rock resources, and comprehensive utilization of phosphorus-potassium separation.

(9) Promoting Green and Low-Carbon Exploration and Development.

(10) Vigorously Cultivating Mining Industry Clusters: Coordinate resource element guarantees, vigorously develop advantageous industries such as vanadium-titanium, rare earth, and lithium batteries, promote the clustered and scaled development of vanadium battery energy storage industry clusters, and build internationally influential vanadium-titanium and rare earth industrial clusters and domestically leading lithium battery industry clusters.

IV. Strengthening Element Guarantees and Optimizing the Business Environment

(11) Improving Multi-Party Investment Mechanisms.

(12) Cultivating Leading Mineral Resource Enterprises.

(13) Establishing a Sound Land, Forest, and Grass Use Guarantee Mechanism for Mining.

V. Deepening Geological Survey Reforms and Forging a Geological Elite Team

(14) Striving to Build a World-Class Geological Survey Team.

(15) Enhancing Strategic Mineral Exploration and Innovation Capabilities.

(16) Promoting the "Go Global" Strategy for Mineral Exploration Breakthrough Actions.

VI. Strengthening Coordination and Promoting Mining Development

(17) Establishing a Coordinated Mechanism for Mineral Resource Exploration, Production, Supply, Storage, and Sales: Build a production statistics system for strategic mineral resources such as vanadium-titanium, rare earth, lithium, and phosphorus, which are advantageous to Sichuan Province.

(18) Improving the Coordination and pision Mechanism for Strategic Mineral Exploration.

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