According to a report by Chinese official media Xinhua on Wednesday (8 January), China Geological Survey of the Ministry of Natural Resources announced a series of major breakthroughs in China’s lithium ore search, with lithium reserves having risen from 6% of the global share to 16.5%, jumping from the world’s sixth to the second place.
From new energy vehicles, energy storage systems, mobile communications to disease treatment, nuclear reactor fuel and other emerging industries, lithium is an irreplaceable key element.
However, China’s external dependence on lithium resources has remained at a high level in recent years, with imports still accounting for a large proportion of the total.
According to China Geological Survey, the newly discovered 2800 km long world-class lithium pyroxene lithium mineralisation belt in Xikunsong-Pan-Ganzi, with a cumulative total of more than 6.5 million tonnes of proven lithium, and a resource potential of more than 30 million tonnes, has greatly enriched the types of lithium mines in China, and expanded the scope of the search for minerals.
In addition to lithium pyroxene-type lithium ore, the development of salt lake lithium resources has also made significant progress. Salt lake is a low-cost lithium source with lighter pollution.
With the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau salt lake lithium resources increased significantly, China now also hosts the world’s third-largest salt lake resources, after the lithium triangle in South America and western America,
Lithium industry insiders pointed out that the current price of lithium ore is at a low level and the trend is stable, the newly discovered deposits in the short term is difficult to influence the spot market.
But in the long run, it will help domestic lithium mining enterprises in the global lithium resources pricing for a greater right to speak, as well as continue to keep lithium prices tend to be rational.
