The Jinchuan copper-nickel deposit is located in Jinchang city, the middle part of the Hexi Corridor, Gansu province. Its mining area is situated at the northern foot of the middle-east end of Longshou Mountain and the southern edge of the Alxa Tableland, and connects to the urban area of the city. With a length of 6.5km from east to west and a width of less than 1km, it consists of four relatively independent fields of ore-bearing ultrabasic rocks and related ore bodies, named mining areas I, II, III and IV based on their exploration order.
The Jinchuan copper-nickel deposit consists of four relatively independent fields of ore-bearing ultrabasic rocks and related ore bodies, named mining areas I, II, III and IV based on their exploration order. [Photo provided to en.jnmc.com]
Longshou Mine was founded in June 1962 and began operations in May 1963. It is one of the main production units and the earliest leading unit of Jinchuan Group Co Ltd. The mine got its name for its close location to Longshou Mountain, five kilometers southeast of Jinchang. It undertakes the nickel ore mining at mining area I, the ore body west of the 6th row of mining area II, and mining area III. The ore field is divided into the east rich ore electric rake mining area (which is transforming into a mechanized operation area), the middle lean and rich ore mixed mining area, and two lean ore mechanized mining areas in the west.
Since the discovery of the mine, it has more than 40 scientific research achievements that have won science and technology progress awards at national and Gansu provincial levels. It also received a number of honorary titles and prizes from Gansu province and the China Nonferrous Metal Industry, such as advanced institution in afforestation, advanced institution in environment protection, mine with beautiful environment, advanced mine, quality management award, May Day labor medalist of Gansu province, and national excellent mine. The output of the mine in 2021 totaled 3.7 million metric tons.
Mining area II is located at No 10 Tongchuan Road, Jinchuan district, Jinchang city, Gansu Province, at the northern foot of Longshou Mountain and the southern edge of the Alxa Tableland. As a primary mine of Jinchuan Group, it accounts for nearly 70 percent of the group’s raw materials. During almost 40 years’ development, it has conducted several expansion projects, and obtained a stable output of more than four million metric tons, being the largest and highly mechanized mine using the backfill mining method in China's nonferrous metal industry. It is also one of the largest and fastest-growing mines in the world using the mechanized downward cemented backfill mining method, which has made great contributions to China's nickel and cobalt industry. To date, mining area II has won a number of honorary titles, including China Nonferrous Metal Industry’s advanced institution of the dispatching system, national first-class metal and nonmetal mine safety standardization enterprise, Green Mine Convention member enterprise of the China Mining Association, and national green mine pilot unit of the Ministry of Land and Resources of China, as well as advanced unit for safety production, model unit for afforestation, advanced hygiene unit and model collective for national unity and progress of Gansu province.
Mining area III is one of the three primary mines of Jinchuan Group and was established on Jan 18, 2002, renamed from the original open-pit mine of Jinchuan. It undertakes underground nickel ore mining and quartz stone production. It is one of the first national first-class non-coal mine safety production standardization enterprises, a national safety culture building demonstration enterprise and a national non-coal mine dual prevention mechanism construction pilot unit. Mining area III has won honorary titles such as the national advanced unit in the nonferrous metals industry, Youth Day red flag CCYL committee of Gansu province, and advanced primary CPC Party organization of Jinchang. It has also been awarded titles by Jinshan Group such as advanced unit, red flag CPC Party committee, advanced safety production unit and advanced unit in trade union work.
Targeted at becoming a modern comprehensive mine with scientific management, mining area III continues to promote market-oriented reforms, quality and efficiency improvement and upgrading, and will increase its efforts in lean ore mining safety and efficiency achieved at low cost. It has outperformed production tasks for 11 consecutive years. In 2021, its underground ore output exceeded three million metric tons.
