Notice of the Ministry of Natural Resources on Issuing the Total Mining Quota for Tungsten Ore in 2024

Natural resources authorities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Heilongjiang province, Zhejiang province, Anhui province, Fujian province, Jiangxi province, Henan province, Hubei province, Hunan province, Guangdong province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Yunnan province, Shaanxi province, Gansu province, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region:

　　To protect and rationally develop advantageous mineral resources, and in accordance with the relevant regulations on the protective mining management of specific minerals, the following notification is issued regarding the total mining control of tungsten ore for the year 2024.

　　1. The total mining control quota for tungsten concentrate (with a 65% trioxide tungsten content, the same hereinafter) nationwide in 2024 is set at 114,000 mt. This quota includes the first batch of quotas issued under the "Notice of the Ministry of Natural Resources on Issuing the First Batch of Total Mining Control Quotas for Tungsten Ore in 2024" (Natural Resources Development [2024] No. 48). The allocation details for each province (autonomous region) are provided in the annex.

　　2. The total mining control quota for tungsten ore will no longer distinguish between primary mining quotas and comprehensive utilisation quotas. For mines with mining licenses registered for primary mining of other minerals and associated tungsten ore, where the identified tungsten resource volume is medium or large, total mining control quotas will continue to be issued with preferential allocation. For associated tungsten resources classified as small, no total mining control quotas will be issued, and mining enterprises shall report tungsten concentrate production to the provincial natural resources authorities where they are located. Provincial natural resources authorities should refine measures and ensure proper statistical compilation.

　　3. Relevant provincial (autonomous region) natural resources authorities must strictly comply with the regulations and complete the decomposition and issuance of the total mining control quotas for tungsten ore within 10 working days of this notification.

　　4. Provincial natural resources authorities shall organize municipal and county-level natural resources authorities in the locations of the mines to sign responsibility agreements with mining enterprises for the implementation of the total mining control quotas, specifying rights, obligations, and liabilities for breaches. They shall conduct a certain proportion of spot checks on the implementation of quotas and the comprehensive utilisation of associated minerals. Municipal and county-level natural resources authorities shall strengthen collaboration with tax, industry, and information technology departments to promptly identify and rectify behaviors such as concealing or underreporting production.

　　5. Relevant provincial natural resources authorities shall accurately compile statistics on the actual production of mining enterprises (including small associated tungsten mines without issued quotas) and report the annual quota implementation status to the Mining Rights Management Department of the Ministry by the end of January 2025.

　　6. By the end of December 2025, except for the conversion of existing exploration rights to mining rights and the agreement-based transfer of deep and upper parts of existing mining rights, the registration and transfer of tungsten ore mining rights shall be suspended.