According to the Sichuan Ganzi Prefecture Bureau of Natural Resources and Land, the Jiamika spodumene mine—located at the junction of Kangding, Yajiang, and Daofu counties (cities) in the prefecture—has been confirmed to hold reserves totaling 1.8877 million tons. Ganzi is set to become “China’s Lithium Capital.”

Lithium is widely used in industries such as batteries, ceramics, glass, lubricants, refrigerants, the nuclear industry, and optoelectronics. With the continuous advancement of electronic devices—including computers, digital cameras, mobile phones, and portable power tools—battery manufacturing has become the largest consumer sector for lithium.

For many years, several organizations—including Ganzi Prefecture Rongda Lithium Industry, Yajiang SnoWey, Sichuan Tianqi Shenghe, and the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Geological Survey—have been conducting exploration activities in mountainous regions. To date, proven reserves have reached 1.8877 million tons. According to analyses and assessments by relevant professional institutions, the prospects for spodumene resources at Jiajika are expected to exceed 3 million tons. The 35.96-square-kilometer spodumene mining area located at the junction of Kangding, Yajiang, and Daofu has now been upgraded to a national-level integrated exploration zone.

The preliminary estimated value of lithium metal in the Jiamika spodumene deposit in the Garzê Tibetan area reaches 387.6 billion yuan. The deposit contains 66,000 tons of isotopic lithium-6 (6Li), which corresponds to the energy equivalent of 242.88 billion tons of standard coal—approximately 29% of the world’s proven and recoverable coal reserves (826 billion tons).

It is reported that Ganzi Prefecture will develop the Ganzi spodumene mine in phases according to its development plan. By 2017, three enterprises in Ganzi Prefecture will invest 1.23 billion yuan to build a mining and processing facility with an annual raw ore capacity of 1.77 million tons and an annual lithium concentrate production capacity of 295,000 tons. By 2020, cumulative investments will reach 2.16 billion yuan, enabling the construction of a mining and processing facility with an annual mining capacity of 3.45 million tons and an annual lithium concentrate production capacity of 575,000 tons.

The Jiamikaka lithium spodumene open-pit mine in Ganzi, Sichuan (image sourced from the internet)

After the mine is completed, by 2017, the deep-processing of lithium products will reach an annual output of 36,000 tons of basic lithium salts; by 2020, the annual output will increase to 135,000 tons of basic lithium salts, as well as lithium-ion battery materials and metallic lithium materials.

According to the spodumene mining development plan, Ganzi Prefecture will, while accelerating the exploitation of mines and the construction of downstream deep-processing projects for mineral products, address employment and labor issues among farmers and herders through targeted training, skills development, and logistics and transportation services. Additionally, the prefecture will formulate mine environmental protection plans and strictly adhere to resource-development practices that meet stringent environmental standards, making every effort to build “ecological mines.” “We will uphold the principles of science, orderliness, safety, environmental protection, and shared benefits—prioritizing conservation while pursuing moderate development, promoting intensive growth, and building a complete industrial chain for lithium smelting and deep processing, concentrating our efforts on establishing ‘China’s Lithium Capital,’” said Liu Chengming, Secretary of the Ganzi Prefecture Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Currently, Ganzi Prefecture is drafting the “Ganzi Prefecture Lithium Industry Development Plan,” which clearly outlines the development direction of the lithium industry chain. The plan covers areas such as mineral resource exploration, development, utilization, and protection; geological environmental protection and remediation of mining sites; lithium product research and development; deep processing of lithium resources through smelting; and the construction of lithium industry clusters. The approach adopted is to carry out deep processing of raw ore by mining within the prefecture and processing it outside the prefecture.