Guizhou makes major gains in strategic mineral exploration

Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), Guizhou has made steady progress in strengthening its strategic mineral resource base. Under the coordination of the Guizhou Provincial Department of Natural Resources, a total of 244 mineral exploration projects have been carried out, leading to newly identified reserves of key minerals such as coal, phosphate, and bauxite.

Central Guizhou is particularly rich in bauxite, with remaining reserves ranking third nationwide and mainly concentrated in areas such as Qingzhen. For nearly three decades, however, deep bauxite exploration in the region has posed a major technical challenge for the geological exploration sector.

To date, 125 projects have passed official evaluation, confirming new discoveries of coal, phosphate, bauxite, manganese, gold, and other minerals.

Looking ahead, the provincial natural resources authority said Guizhou will continue to strengthen fundamental geological surveys over the next five years and explore new incentive mechanisms for geological exploration. The province aims to attract social capital with strong technical expertise and financial strength to participate in a new round of breakthrough prospecting.

At the same time, Guizhou will enhance the integrated development and use of geological data, laying a solid foundation for applying big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence to mineral exploration, and turning resource potential into sustainable development momentum.