The national standard for green mines is about to be implemented, and mining enterprises are increasingly focusing on the construction of green mines. Recently, many colleagues have been asking about the differences between large-, medium-, and small-sized mines in their efforts to build green mines. In this article, we’d like to share our views on this issue, providing reference for relevant organizations and departments during the green mine construction process.

According to the “Notice on Adjusting the Standards for the Scale of Production and Construction of Mines for Certain Mineral Types” (Guotu Zifa [2004] No. 208), we can see that large-, medium-, and small-sized mines are classified based on the production capacity of their mine shafts, which in turn is primarily determined by the reserves of mineral resources and the geological environment. Consequently, small-scale mines typically have smaller mining areas, shorter mining cycles, and cause relatively less environmental damage, whereas large-scale mines feature larger mining areas, longer mining cycles, and significantly greater environmental impacts. Therefore, when building green mines according to the same standards, we need to adopt a targeted approach. As we all know, a “green mine” refers to the entire process of mineral resource development, which not only requires strict implementation of scientific and orderly mining practices but also demands that disturbances to the mine area and its surrounding environment be kept within environmentally acceptable limits. Based on this fundamental requirement of green mines, we will now introduce separately the key focuses for building green mines in these three types of mines.

First, small-scale mines should be developed into green and environmentally friendly mines. Meeting environmental standards is the most fundamental requirement for building green mines. Since small-scale mines have relatively small mining areas, their environmental impact is also relatively minor. The primary focus should be on the proper disposal of solid waste, ensuring that wastewater, exhaust gases, and waste residues are discharged in compliance with standards, and effectively controlling noise and dust pollution. As a result, mine sites should be clean, tidy, elegant, and comfortable. In terms of resource development, environmentally friendly mining practices should be adopted, integrating the concept of cleaner production at every stage. Timely treatment of the “three wastes,” as well as noise and dust issues, will help minimize the environmental impact of these pollution sources, ensure compliance with emission standards, and establish an environmental protection model characterized by “governance through development and development through governance.”

Second, medium-sized mines should be developed into green, precision-oriented mines. In the course of development, key stages such as resource extraction, efficient separation, waste utilization, emission management, and ecological restoration are all indispensable. From a resource-extraction perspective, these processes involve continuously expanding product offerings and extending product lines—for example, producing mineral products, co-produced mineral products, thermal energy, water, electricity, and even turning waste resources into various construction materials. The product portfolio gradually takes shape and grows over time—a process of adding to the product mix. From an environmental protection standpoint, these processes aim at continually reducing environmental damage and pollution—making the entire process one of subtracting from environmental impacts. Integrating advanced technologies such as information technology, intelligent systems, and automation into the production processes of resource conservation, development, and comprehensive utilization lays the foundation for precise resource exploitation. This approach enables us to replace human labor with machinery and reduce manpower through automation, thereby achieving the goal of “precise resource extraction, resource recycling, low development, high utilization, and low emissions.” Ultimately, it will foster a mining development model characterized by “protection during development and development through protection.”

Third, large-scale mines should be developed into green, eco-friendly mines. A green, eco-friendly mine represents an extension of the green, precision mine concept—moving beyond mere environmental compliance toward the integration of ecological industries, in other words, a fundamental industrial transformation of the mine itself. Large-scale mines cover extensive mining areas, have long extraction cycles, and exert significant destructive impacts. Simple ecological restoration alone cannot achieve true harmony between humans and nature. Therefore, when planning such mines, it is essential to integrate ecological industries from the outset. By making full use of waste products and discarded materials, we can transform sites where production has damaged the environment into landscapes that are both aesthetically pleasing and economically viable. This approach not only fosters harmony between production and nature but also helps generate valuable ecological resources. Subsequently, we can develop related ecological industries—such as mine parks, modern agriculture (including fisheries), healthcare and wellness services, forest-understory economic activities, mine technology centers, and testing centers. These industries should be planned and implemented gradually alongside the mine’s operations, creating synergistic effects that multiply the mine’s potential for sustainable development. When the time comes to decommission the mine, we will avoid the entire mining area falling into decline simply because the mining industry itself is no longer active. By integrating mine development with ecological industries from the very beginning, we can not only make the most of waste materials but also create entirely new industries beyond traditional mining. In this way, we can achieve the goal of “circular utilization of mineral resources and full-scale development of ecological resources,” thus establishing an ecological development model characterized by “development through exploitation and exploitation through development.”

“Green, smart, and shared” represent the most fundamental requirements for green mines. “Green” signifies that the mining process—characterized by scientific and orderly operations—must keep disturbances to the mine area and its surrounding environment within controllable limits. “Smart” refers to the use of modern technologies and automated equipment to enhance productivity and economic efficiency, thereby maintaining mine operations at their optimal state and highest level. “Shared” means fostering social harmony by sharing resources, talent, technology, information, and profits—in a tiered manner—with shareholders, employees, and the local community. Green, environmentally friendly mines, green, precision-oriented mines, and green, eco-friendly mines are all different models of green mines, each suited to different types of mines and regional environments.

Environment-friendly mines represent the most fundamental requirement for green mines—they serve as the basic model for green, precision-oriented mines. Green, eco-friendly mines, on the other hand, are an enhanced version of the green, precision-oriented mines. Currently, these different types of green mines all adhere to the same national standards for green mine development; in other words, the national requirements are uniform across the board. However, during implementation, the emphasis should differ accordingly, and when developing scoring criteria, separate versions of the scoring standards should be tailored to each specific type of mine. Of course, we also hope that subsequent revisions of these standards will further refine and improve them.