According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, in the first half of 2025, my country made major breakthroughs in prospecting for important minerals, and 38 new mineral deposits were discovered; non-oil and gas mineral exploration investment continued to grow, among which the investment in exploration of tungsten and other minerals increased by more than 50% year-on-year.
Recently, the Office of the Strategic Action for a New Round of Mineral Exploration Breakthroughs of the Ministry of Natural Resources introduced: In the first half of this year, 38 new mineral deposits were discovered nationwide, an increase of 31% year-on-year. Among them, 25 were large and medium-sized. Major breakthroughs have been made in prospecting for important mineral species. The first super-large uranium mine in Heilongjiang Province was discovered. In Xinglong County, Hebei Province, 3.37 million tons of rubidium resources were added, reaching a super-large scale, further consolidating the dominant position of rubidium mines in my country. In Longhua County, Hebei Province, 27,000 tons of cobalt resources were added, reaching a large scale. In Songtao County, Guizhou Province, 22.85 million tons of manganese resources were added, reaching a large scale. In Tekes County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 81 tons of gold resources were added, and nearly 100 tons were found in total, reaching a super-large scale. So far, most mineral species have completed the "14th Five-Year Plan" prospecting goals ahead of schedule.
According to preliminary statistics, in the first half of 2025, the country invested 6.993 billion yuan in non-oil and gas mineral exploration, an increase of 23.9% year-on-year, maintaining a rapid growth momentum, and the year-on-year growth rate continued to expand. Among them, social funds amounted to 3.359 billion yuan, up 28.2% year-on-year, accounting for 48.0% of the total investment in mineral exploration, indicating that enterprises are increasingly motivated to invest in mineral exploration; central and local fiscal funds amounted to 3.634 billion yuan, up 20.1% year-on-year. In terms of mineral types, the investment in exploration of tin, bauxite, tungsten, copper, phosphate and other minerals increased by more than 50% year-on-year, and the investment in exploration of coal, lead-zinc, molybdenum, gold, graphite and other minerals also increased to varying degrees. In addition, the natural resources department has increased the supply of prospecting rights. In 2024, 581 strategic mineral prospecting rights were put into use, a ten-year high. In the first half of 2025, 318 strategic mineral prospecting rights were put into use.
