New round of mineral prospecting breakthrough action yields results, super-large potential copper-gold ore deposit discovered in the Yangtze River Delta

Reporters learned from the Ministry of Natural Resources today (the 1st) that China's new round of prospecting breakthrough strategic action has added another landmark achievement. Major progress has been made in the exploration of the Chating copper-gold deposit in Xuancheng, Anhui Province, and it is expected to build a new large-scale copper-gold resource base in East China.

Located in the hinterland of the Yangtze River Delta, with potential for super-large deposits

The Chating copper-gold deposit is located in the hinterland of the Yangtze River Delta. It is a newly discovered copper-gold deposit with super-large scale potential in China in recent years. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the deep ore bodies of the deposit have not been fully drilled through, and the main ore body has been delineated to be about 1.2 kilometers long and about 1.1 kilometers wide. Preliminary calculations show that the potential copper resources exceed the scale of several large copper mines with a capacity of 500,000 tons, and the potential gold resources exceed the scale of more than ten large gold mines with a capacity of 20 tons, and there is still large room for growth in subsequent reserves.

Accelerated project construction confirms domestic prospecting potential

Hu Xianqi, Director of the Geological Department of the Geological Exploration Administration Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said that the Chating copper-gold mine is a key exploration project in 2026, and major exploration breakthroughs have been achieved in just a few months, with outstanding demonstration significance. At present, the domestic market demand for copper resources is strong, and the external dependence is at a high level, but the domestic mineral prospecting potential is still considerable. The Anhui Chating copper-gold mine is a typical example.

Empower the new energy industry and make up for East China's resource shortcomings

Copper is a key raw material for emerging industries such as photovoltaic, wind power, and new energy vehicles. After the Chating copper-gold mine is put into operation, it can provide raw material supplies for the smelting and processing industries in East China locally, which is conducive to breaking through the development bottleneck of insufficient copper and gold resource supply in East China. It will become an important resource fulcrum supporting the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, and greatly improve the self-sufficiency rate of copper and gold minerals and the resource continuation guarantee capacity of the Yangtze River Delta and the eastern economic belt.