For a long time, mineral resources have always been an important field to support the economic development of various countries. At present, China's iron ore import sources are concentrated and the industrial chain security is insufficient, which has become a problem restricting the sustainable and healthy development of China's steel industry.

The National Development and Reform Commission Industrial Development Department sponsored to accelerate the development and construction of domestic key iron ore project research symposium was held in Anshan. With the theme of promoting the construction of iron ore projects and enhancing the security of iron ore resources, the meeting summarized the positive progress made in the construction of domestic iron ore projects over the past year, put forward opinions and suggestions for the difficulties and blocked points existing in the current iron ore development projects, and mobilized the deployment of the next step to accelerate the construction of a number of high-quality iron ore projects.

Lu Sanitary, director of the Industrial Development Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that positive progress has been made in the development and construction of domestic iron ore projects. Promoting the development and construction of domestic iron ore projects is an important measure to ensure the safety and stability of the industrial chain and supply chain, an important guarantee for the high-quality development of the steel industry, and an important starting point for expanding effective investment.

For further accelerating the development and construction of domestic iron ore projects, Lu Health said that at the national level, we will further strengthen the coordination and linkage of departments, strengthen the docking between departments and local governments, and ensure that supporting policies keep up and fall, and the deployment and measures take effect as soon as possible. Local departments of development and reform, industry and information technology, natural resources, ecological environment, forestry and grass, and mine safety supervision should effectively strengthen coordination and cooperation, interact and support each other, and form a strong synergy.

Zhang Hui, a fourth-level researcher of the Department of Mineral Rights Management of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said that to enhance domestic iron ore production capacity, it is necessary to further increase the existing exploration rights to mining rights, improve the efficiency of iron ore production, and effectively enhance iron ore production capacity and improve industrial competitiveness through enterprises' own exploration potential. The Ministry of Natural Resources has issued relevant management policies in improving the registration management of mineral resources exploration and exploitation, and the guarantee of mining land, so as to provide policy support for encouraging exploration and promoting development. In the past two years, the steel market demand is changing from total growth to structural optimization, making the high-quality development of the steel industry more substantive, but also for the development of iron ore resources to bring more opportunities, put forward higher requirements.

He Wenbo, executive chairman of the China Iron and Steel Association, said that from the perspective of the total demand for iron ore, China's steel demand will remain at a high level in the coming period. On the one hand, the process structure dominated by the high-turn-length process will not change fundamentally in the short term; On the other hand, the reform of smelting process and the growth of demand for direct reduced iron have also produced new demands for the variety and quality of iron resources. How to adapt to the new demand structure and embody the unique value of domestic iron resources development is a major topic with innovative significance.

He Wenbo said that China is a large country with demand for mineral resources, and should timely evaluate the development trend of the three iron resources of the cornerstone plan, including domestic mines, overseas mines and scrap steel, according to the development and change of the medium and long-term situation, and face the future, actively study and plan the upgrade version of the cornerstone plan that matches the transformation of the low-carbon steel production process, so as to realize the upgrading and sustainable development of green low-carbon raw materials in the steel industry.

In March 2022, the cornerstone plan to break the monopoly of imported iron ore and increase the supply of China's own iron resources was launched. In November of the same year, the West Anshan Iron Ore project of Angang Steel started, marking the official start of construction of the country's largest single underground iron mine, and also a major progress of the cornerstone plan.

Xianshan Iron Mine is currently an undeveloped monolithic underground iron mine with large resource reserves and good endowment. It has reserves of 1.3 billion tons and designed an annual output of 10 million tons of iron concentrate. The project has a total investment of 22.9 billion yuan and is scheduled to be put into operation in 2027. After the completion of the project, it will become the largest underground monomer mine with leading technology, green intelligence, no waste and no disturbance in China.

For a long time, mine construction involves land expropriation and relocation, mining rights management and many other links, while the approval departments are scattered, many levels, complicated requirements, difficult to handle. However, in the promotion of the Xianshan Iron Mine project, the Liaoning Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government and relevant departments have shortened the approval time by 29 months through the hand-by-hand approval, refreshing the record for the handling of new mine projects in the same industry in China, and providing strong support for the project landing.

During the National Two sessions in 2023, Tan Chengxu, the new rotating president of the China Iron and Steel Association and the chairman of Angang Group, said that the Cornerstone plan has achieved obvious results in the approval efficiency, fixed asset investment, and the promotion of key projects. However, the Cornerstone Program is a long-term and continuous work. As the domestic and international situation changes and the work progresses to a deeper level, various new problems will be encountered, which need continuous attention and solution.

He suggested that, first, the establishment of a set of mining, construction, operation as one of the full life cycle iron ore strategic guarantee mechanism, to maintain reasonable profit margins and investment stability of iron ore enterprises. Second, in order to further support and encourage the development of domestic iron mines, it is proposed to give fiscal and tax policy support, reduce the taxes and fees of iron ore enterprises, and adjust to the same level or below that of the same industry in foreign countries. Editor/Xu Shengpeng