Altay's green mining potential exceeds 100 billion yuan

Green mining has become one of the pillar industries of the Altay prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, with the potential value of newly identified mineral resources over the past three years exceeding 100 billion yuan ($14 billion), local officials said during a news conference in Urumqi on Monday.

Wang Yun, executive deputy commissioner of the Altay prefecture administrative office, said they have been promoting the transfer of mining rights, earning more than 8.7 billion yuan during this period.

He said the prefecture possesses a world-class nonferrous metal metallogenic belt, with 94 types discovered. Its high-quality quartz resource ranks first in Xinjiang.

He added that they have launched nine high-end material projects, including carbon fiber and high-purity quartz. These projects cover new energy, electronic information, and new material manufacturing, filling the gap in high-value-added industries in the region.

Wang Fang, secretary of the leading Party members group of the prefecture's development and reform commission, said that by 2024, the prefecture had completed a clean energy power generation capacity of 4.84 million kilowatts. According to her, 26 clean energy projects are either planned or under construction in the prefecture for 2025, with a total installed capacity expected to reach 10.22 million kilowatts, a 542 percent increase compared to that of 2022.

Jaynes Hades, commissioner of the Altay administrative office, noted that over the past seven decades, the prefecture has made a historic transformation, evolving from a remote pastoral area into a modern, livable, business-friendly, and tourist-friendly region.

He explained that the prefecture has transitioned from traditional agriculture and animal husbandry to a development path focused on green mining, all-for-one tourism, a port economy, modern agriculture, and animal husbandry, accompanied by upgraded infrastructure and the flourishing of distinctive local industries.

Meanwhile, the prefecture's ecological advantages have been converted into drivers of development, achieving a win-win outcome in environmental protection and economic growth, he added.