On June 28, Zijin Mining announced a significant discovery of 18.38 million tonnes of additional copper resources and 5.77 million tonnes of copper reserves. This discovery, made possible by Zijin’s strong in-house research and exploration capabilities, includes resources and reserves from two projects in China: The Julong Copper Mine in Tibet and the Tongshan Copper Mine in Heilongjiang. The newly added reserves represent 14.2% of China’s total copper reserves as of the end of 2022.

Record Growth: Julong Becomes China’s Largest Copper Mine by Resources

• Julong Copper Mine Has 25.88 Million Tonnes of Copper Resources

Following the acquisition of a significant interest in the Julong Copper Mine in 2020, Zijin Mining has conducted substantial exploration, drilling 87,000 meters and analyzing 43,400 samples. Within 18 months, the Phase 1 of the project was completed. Julong’s mining and processing capacities have since been expanding. The head grade of copper ore has decreased from 0.3% in 2022 to about 0.17%.

According to documents filed with the government, Julong Copper Mine has added 14.73 million tonnes of copper resources, bringing its total to 25.88 million tonnes with an average grade of 0.29%. This is 2.5 times the verified resources at the time of its acquisition by Zijin, making Julong China’s largest copper mine by resources. In addition, the mine has newly identified 1.002 million tonnes of molybdenum and 8,157 tonnes of silver resources.

• Becoming a World-Class, Ultra-Large Copper Mine

Julong’s Phase 2 expansion is expected to start trial production in the first quarter of 2026. Upon completion of Phase 2, its annual processing capacity will rise from 45 million tonnes to 110 million tonnes, with yearly copper production increasing to around 300,000 to 350,000 tonnes, molybdenum to 13,000 tonnes, and silver to 230 tonnes. This will position the Julong Copper Mine as China’s largest copper mine and a world-class, ultra-large project, situated at the highest altitudes and with the lowest head grades.

A feasibility study for Julong’s Phase 3 is being carried out. If approved, the annual ore processing could reach 200 million tonnes, making it the world’s largest copper mine with an annual output of approximately 600,000 tonnes of copper.

Treasures at Depth: Ultra-large Orebody Discovered at Tongshan Copper Mine in Heilongjiang

Heilongjiang Duobaoshan Copper, Zijin Mining’s wholly-owned subsidiary that operates the Duobaoshan and Tongshan Copper Mines, has conducted extensive geological exploration using advanced methods, drilling 73,000 meters and analyzing 14,700 samples. The exploration efforts revealed an ultra-large copper orebody at the depths of the Tongshan Copper Mine.

Data reviewed and confirmed by the government show that the Tongshan Copper Mine has added 3.651 million tonnes of copper resources, with an average grade of 0.47%. The newly discovered V orebody, a blind, porphyry deposit, contains 2.81 million tonnes of copper, making it the largest copper orebody discovered in Northeast China in the past 40 years.

The V orebody is thick and deep, though not high-grade. Zijin is currently studying development plans for the orebody and expects to use the block-induced caving method for mining.

The mine also added a significant amount of associated resources, including 130,000 tonnes of molybdenum, 55 tonnes of gold, and 1,104 tonnes of silver.

Translator:Jian   Reviser:  Li Yuanxing   Editor-in-Chief: Wang Jie