Chinese lithium mine registers wider vein, bolstering Beijing’s battery supply
China has announced an expansion of about 70 per cent in the resource base of a major lithium deposit in the southwestern province of Sichuan. State news agency Xinhua reported that the Jiada Lithium Mine registered about 1.05 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent, bringing its total resources to 2.53 million tonnes. Developer Dazhong Mining said in a filing that the additional resources passed review and registration by the Ministry of Natural Resources, comprising 33.52 million tonnes of ore containing about 423,800 tonnes of lithium oxide at an average grade of 1.26 per cent.
Why it matters: The registration enlarges China's domestic resource base for a metal used in electric-vehicle batteries and energy storage, bearing on the briefing's themes of critical minerals and supply chains.