Recently, the Hami City Bureau of Natural Resources of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in collaboration with the Yizhou District Government of the city, issued a notice in the Hami Daily and on relevant government websites announcing the lawful closure of 17 non-coal mines, achieving initial progress in the special campaign to rectify non-coal mining operations.
　　Since November last year, the Hami Bureau has been working in coordination with Yizhou District of the city to carry out a special campaign aimed at rectifying non-coal mines under the “Three Batches” approach—closing and phasing out a batch, integrating and reorganizing another batch, and upgrading and enhancing yet another batch. In accordance with the Mineral Resources Law and relevant regulations and documents, the bureau has conducted a comprehensive review of mining rights within Yizhou District, identifying mining enterprises whose mining licenses have expired or whose current production scales fall below the minimum required for exploitation and whose resources have been depleted. “The first batch of 17 non-coal mines identified have been legally and regulatively closed after a 10-working-day public notice period,” said a representative from the Hami Bureau. Through individual interviews with operators of these non-coal mines, the bureau patiently explained the entry requirements—including the minimum exploitation scale and minimum service life for non-coal mines—as well as policies related to work safety and industrial upgrading implemented by Hami City and Yizhou District, thereby alleviating operators’ concerns and gaining their understanding and support.
　　It is understood that the 17 non-coal mines recently shut down in Yizhou District include six gold mines, five iron mines, two limestone mines, and one each of copper mines, nickel mines, quartz mines, and shale mines. These 17 non-coal mines were found to have issues such as expired mining licenses, prolonged suspension of operations and construction, production scales failing to meet the prescribed minimum standards, and weak safety foundations.
　　The head of the Hami Bureau stated that the lawful and regulatory closure of the first batch of non-coal mines not only marks a phased achievement in Yizhou District’s special campaign to rectify non-coal mines under the “Three Batches” initiative, but also represents a concrete step taken by Hami City to lawfully regulate and close small-scale mines, improve mine safety production conditions, and protect the ecological environment. Moving forward, the city and district will work in tandem to further deepen and advance the special campaign for rectifying non-coal mines, thereby providing support for high-quality economic development in the region.