MLR plans additional rare earths mining areas
Shanghai. August 8. INTERFAX-CHINA - China's Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) will set up several new rare earths mining areas in undisclosed locations to tighten regulation of the industry, the ministry announced Aug. 5.
The news comes after the State Council on May 19 called for industry consolidation and announced plans to introduce regulations to combat illegal and excessive mining and export of rare earths, as reported by Interfax.
The MLR earlier this year established 11 rare earths mining areas covering 2,534 square kilometers in Jiangxi Province's Ganzhou City about 1,000 kilometers southwest of Shanghai.
China's heavy rare earths deposits are predominantly located in southern China, while the majority of light rare earth deposits are found in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the north of the country.
The first of the proposed bases may be established in Inner Mongolia to balance the new areas set up further south in Jiangxi, Yu Zequan, a rare earths analyst with Umetals, told Interfax on Aug. 8.
-KHM