Accumulate enough "confidence" to improve the ability to guarantee mineral resources
Mineral resources are an important material basis for economic and social development, and the exploration and development of mineral resources is related to the national economy, people's livelihood and national security. Inner Mongolia is rich in mineral resources, with 45 kinds of mineral reserves ranking among the top 3 in the country. In recent years, Inner Mongolia has orderly promoted basic geological survey, mineral resources exploration, development, utilization and protection, optimized the structure of resource exploration and development, continuously improved the level of conservation and intensification, steadily promoted the construction of green mines, achieved remarkable results in the management of mine geological environment, and deepened the reform of mineral resources management, which effectively guaranteed the security of national energy resources and implemented the regional development strategy of the autonomous region.
In October 2023, the "Opinions of the State Council on Promoting the High-quality Development of Inner Mongolia and Striving to Write a New Chapter of Chinese-style Modernization" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions") was released, deploying seven main tasks, one of which is to "promote the orderly development and utilization of mineral resources".
Insist on developing in protection and protecting in development. Inner Mongolia strictly implements the requirements of use control and ecological environment zoning control, strengthens mine safety facilities and capacity building, standardizes the procedures for mining rights, increases the market-oriented investment of blocks, and promotes the orderly development and utilization of mineral resources.
Interpretation——
How to promote the orderly development and utilization of mineral resources?
"Deeply grasp the balanced relationship between 'ecological security' and 'mineral resources development and utilization', strictly implement the requirements of land and space planning, use control and ecological environment zoning control, and effectively connect energy resource bases, national planning mining areas, key exploration and mining areas with ecological protection red lines and nature reserves, and shoulder the major strategic responsibility of building an important ecological security barrier in northern China and an important national energy and strategic resource base. Mao Weihua, an associate researcher at the magazine of the Autonomous Region Academy of Social Sciences, said.
Planning is the leader, Inner Mongolia has compiled and implemented the "Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Mineral Resources Master Plan (2021-2025)", closely focusing on the strategic positioning of "two barriers", "two bases" and "one bridgehead", strengthening basic geological survey and strategic mineral exploration, and ensuring the security of national energy resources. Implement zoning control, total volume control, and source control, and take protection priority and intensive agglomeration development as the main line to improve the utilization efficiency of mineral resources.
"It is necessary to strictly verify the overlap between the scope of the proposed mining rights and the scope of restricted and prohibited exploration and mining areas such as nature reserves and ecological protection red lines. In terms of ensuring the balance between supply and demand of mineral resources, it is necessary to vigorously promote the conservation and intensive utilization of resources, and for mining enterprises with small mining areas, low production scale and low degree of safety and security, they should adhere to the integration procedures that meet the integration conditions, and accelerate the development of the agreement transfer work that meets the conditions of the agreement. Gao Hong, director of the Mining Rights Management Division of the Department of Natural Resources of the Autonomous Region, said.
At the same time, policy support has been obtained in the areas of co-associated resources with coal, oil and gas exploration and development, unconventional natural gas exploration and development in Ordos, development and utilization of strategic mineral resources, and the establishment of new national major mineral resources exploration and development projects approved in accordance with the law in the basic grassland area, and the "Opinions" have been implemented.
Action –
Standardize the formalities for mining rights and increase market-oriented transfers
This year, the coal prospecting rights of the Nalin River Bayan Chaidamu Wellfield, located in Wushenqi, Ordos City, were listed for 30.15 billion yuan, becoming the first coal mining right in the autonomous region to be transferred by classification of coal for chemical raw materials. This is also a specific measure for Inner Mongolia to serve and ensure national energy security, enhance and strengthen the status of the national important energy and strategic resource base, promote the transformation and upgrading of the traditional coal industry, extend the coal industry chain, and ensure the demand for coal for the production of chemical projects.
After the promulgation of the "Opinions", Inner Mongolia has comprehensively figured out the base number of untransferred blocks, strengthened the market-oriented transfer of mining rights according to market supply and demand, and promoted the development of the mining economy. At the same time, a number of mining rights will be promoted to complete the market-oriented transfer. At present, the No. 1 well field in Huolinhe Mining Area, No. 11 corner resources in Ordos City, and 10 non-coal mine rights in Alxa have successively issued market-oriented transfer announcements, and are performing market-oriented transfer procedures, which will play a positive role in promoting the increase of mineral resources reserves and production in Inner Mongolia.
"Combined with the Ministry of Natural Resources to arrange the deployment of the expansion of the source of the transfer of blocks, to promote a new round of prospecting breakthroughs of the work requirements, the Department of Natural Resources has comprehensively sorted out the mineral resource blocks with the conditions for the transfer of the whole region, accelerated the construction of the mining rights transfer project library, and included all the blocks with the conditions for the transfer into the mining rights transfer project library. Gao Hong said.
Promote the integration of mineral resources and promote the conservation and intensive utilization of mineral resources. In Inner Mongolia, for the deep or upper part of the plane vertical projection of the existing mining rights, the surrounding (belonging to the same ore body and the ore body extending outward), sporadic scattered resources, and the gap area of about 300 meters between adjacent mining rights belonging to the same subject (the same mining rights holder or 100% wholly-owned parent and subsidiary), it is not suitable to set up separate mining rights, and the mining rights shall be transferred by agreement, which further improves the level of intensive and economical utilization of resources.
Since 2023, 54 mining rights in the region (including existing mining rights and surrounding prospecting rights, corner resources, and deep resources) have been integrated into 24 mining rights, and 15 existing mining rights have been transferred by agreement for similar resources in the deep or upper parts.
Intensify the exploration of mineral resources, and make every effort to promote the strategic action of prospecting breakthroughs. Baotou City has researched and formulated the "New Round of Prospecting Breakthrough Strategic Action Work Plan", which has clarified the key prospecting direction of rare earth, copper, gold, iron, coal, phosphorus, silica and other minerals that can support the development of the industry. And from the increase in geological exploration investment, accelerate the conversion of prospecting rights to mining rights, speed up the establishment of new prospecting rights, fully tap the "corner resources", vigorously support and promote the deep exploration of mining rights, etc., put forward 10 specific measures. 10 prospecting rights have been preliminarily identified as prospecting targets, focusing on promoting three projects: Baiyanhua Coalfield, Huanghuatan Copper Mine, and Chaganhadamiao Copper Mine.
Objectives –
Comprehensively implement green exploration of mineral resources, and promote resource conservation and comprehensive utilization
As an important national energy and strategic resource base, Inner Mongolia has a unique resource endowment and is also a typical resource-based industrial region. How to strengthen the orderly development and utilization of mineral resources and promote the high-quality development of Inner Mongolia?
“下一步，努力实现找矿新突破，推动铁、铜、金等紧缺金属矿产保有资源量普遍增长2%-5%，新增大中型矿产地10-15处。重点实施白云鄂博地区找矿专项行动，为包头建设全国最大的稀土新材料基地和全国领先的稀土应用基地提供支撑。促进矿产资源高质量发展，全面实施矿产资源总体规划，确保‘十四五’期间矿山总数控制在2900个以内，大中型矿山比例提高至35%。Comprehensively implement green exploration of mineral resources, and promote resource conservation and comprehensive utilization。”自治区自然资源厅有关负责人介绍。
Mao Weihua said that we should give full play to the complementary advantages of the eastern, central and western regions, rationally divide and classify control, and establish a new pattern of mining development with large and medium-sized mining enterprises as the main body. Steadily promote the construction of coal, rare earth and other energy resource bases and the construction of national planned mining areas, and further optimize the layout of the mining industry.
"In terms of comprehensively promoting green exploration, the "Technical Regulations for Green Exploration in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region" will be issued, and the geological exploration projects funded by the autonomous region's finance will be used as a demonstration to promote them to the whole region. In the whole process of geological exploration, the concept of green development is implemented, according to different topography and vegetation distribution, the use of advanced methods, technologies and equipment such as aerial remote sensing, hyperspectral measurement, and drilling instead of troughs to minimize the disturbance of geological work to the ecological environment, to achieve a 'win-win' situation of green development of geological exploration and ecological environmental protection, and to help the high-quality development of Inner Mongolia's mining economy by comprehensively promoting green exploration in the autonomous region. Gao Hong said.
It is understood that in order to further implement the "Opinions", the Department of Natural Resources of the Autonomous Region will draft and formulate the green mine construction standards, evaluation indicators and green mine declaration and evaluation selection processes and requirements of the Autonomous Region, and clarify the leadership responsibilities of governments at all levels and the regulatory responsibilities of various departments. According to the actual decomposition of annual construction goals and tasks, continue to promote the construction of green mines.
The new journey sets sail, and the new mission is on our shoulders. From extensive to green and low-carbon, from decentralized and inefficient to intensive and efficient, Inner Mongolia has continuously improved its ability to guarantee mineral resources, firmly grasped the "rice bowl" of mineral resources, and guarded the "granary" of mineral resources.
