Twelve ministries: small coal mines and ores will be integrated in 2010

November 26 MetalBiz—Ministry of Land and Resource, National Development and Reform Commission, State Administration of Work Safety and etc., twelve ministries and commissions jointly issued notice about promoting mineral resource development and integration (hereafter to be referred as notice), requiring that each province and cities must finish the draft and approval works about promoting mineral integration before the end of March next year. Before the end of 2010, provinces and cities should complete the restructuring works overall with the approved integration plan. Principal from the Ministry of Land and Resource said that in order to stimulate the enthusiasm of local government and miners in developing and participating in the integration, ensuring the smooth implementation of restructuring work, the notice cleared three preferential policies. Firstly, scattered and few resource surrounding the integrated mines and deep resource not available to set up new mines can be transferred to the main body of integration by the means of contract with plans. Secondly, based on the fulfillment of integration works and determined controlling indicate of exploring capacity, Ministry of Land and Resource will moderately adjust the exploring indicate of tungsten, antimony, rare-earth and other minerals. Thirdly, for the regions well done in integration, under the premise of conforming to the relevant rules, Ministry of Land and Resource and provincial management department will firstly consider arranging state geological exploration fund project and state strategic mineral survey project.

It is learned that from the issue and implementation of mineral resource law in 1986, China rectified orders of mining industry for several times and the mines decreased from 280,000 to 120,000.