On January 8th, the China Geological Survey of the Ministry of Natural Resources announced a major breakthrough in lithium mineral exploration in China. The newly added resources of spodumene type, salt lake type, and lithium mica type lithium mines all exceeded 10 million tons, and the global proportion of lithium reserves increased from 6% to 16.5%, jumping from sixth to second in the world and reshaping the global lithium resource landscape.
Lithium, hailed as the future ‘king of metals’, holds a pivotal position in modern society. As a key element in emerging industries such as new energy vehicles, energy storage systems, mobile communications, disease treatment, and nuclear reactor fuels, lithium is closely related to people’s lives. For a long time, China’s dependence on foreign lithium resources has been high, with a large proportion of imports, which has increased production costs and also constrained the development of related industries.
In this breakthrough in mineral exploration, the newly discovered West Kunlun Songpan Ganzi lithium mineralization belt is 2800 kilometers long and is a world-class spodumene type lithium mineralization belt. The discovery of this mineralization zone has greatly enriched the types and distribution range of lithium mineral resources in China, leading to lithium mineral exploration demonstrations in Xinjiang, Sichuan, Qinghai and other places, and providing new directions for lithium mineral exploration and development in China.
According to preliminary statistics, the mineralized zone has accumulated over 6.5 million tons of proven lithium mineral resources, with a resource potential of over 30 million tons, which is expected to further enhance China’s lithium mineral reserves.
In addition to spodumene type lithium mines, China has also made significant progress in the development of lithium resources in salt lakes. After investigation and evaluation, the newly added lithium resources in salt lakes in China have reached over 14 million tons, making it the third largest salt lake lithium resource base in the world after the South American Lithium Triangle and the western United States. Salt lake lithium resources have low development costs, minimal pollution, and broad development prospects.
In addition, China has also made significant breakthroughs in lithium extraction technology from lithium mica. Solved the problem of high lithium content but complex extraction and high cost of lithium mica, improved utilization and economy, and opened up a new situation for lithium mica type lithium ore exploration. According to statistics, the newly added lithium mica type lithium ore resources in Jiangxi and other regions have exceeded 10 million tons. This breakthrough will promote the formation of a new mining situation in Hunan, Inner Mongolia and other regions, becoming an important growth point for lithium resources.
The significant breakthrough in lithium ore exploration this time is due to the in-depth implementation of a new round of strategic actions for mineral exploration breakthroughs. The China Geological Survey, together with geological exploration units and mining enterprises in various provinces (regions), has launched a concentrated campaign for lithium ore exploration nationwide, and has achieved a series of major breakthroughs in Sichuan, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Jiangxi, Inner Mongolia and other places.
The significant breakthrough in lithium mining this time will effectively alleviate the tight supply of lithium resources in China, promote the rapid development of China’s new energy industry, and also promote the healthy development of the global lithium resource market, enhancing China’s position and influence in the global lithium resource market.