The Jijiaoshan Lithium Mine in Linwu County, Hunan Province has received a “Mining Permit” approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources recently.

This marks the first lithium mine project in the province to transition directly from an exploration right to a mining right, signaling a new stage in the development of lithium resources in Hunan.

With the acceleration of the global energy transition, lithium, as the “white petroleum”, has increasingly prominent strategic significance.

In July this year, a super-large altered granite-type lithium deposit was discovered in the Tongtianmiao section of the Jijiaoshan mining area in Linwu County. The total lithium ore resources in the mining area amount to 490 million tons, equivalent to about 3.2443 million tons of lithium carbonate. The planned annual mining scale of the mining area is 20 million tons, with an expected annual output of 80,000 tons of lithium carbonate.

The “mining, beneficiation and metallurgy integration” development model will be adopted to help Hunan build a trillion-yuan new energy industrial chain.

“The mining license is a key credential for promoting industrial development. We will accelerate project construction to ensure the mining and processing target of 20 million tons next year and the operation of a 20,000-ton lithium carbonate project,” said an executive of Hunan Dazhonghe Lithium Mine Co., Ltd.

The company adopts scientific mining from open pit to underground. It also launched a project for harmless comprehensive utilization of lithium slag, with advanced lithium slag treatment technology to effectively promote green development.

This mining permit is a result of streamlined approval procedures for the prospecting right was directly transferred to mining right after professional assessment, according to an official with the Department of Natural Resources of Hunan Province.  

Chinese source:hunantoday