— Actively promote the domestic iron ore development, overseas resource development and expansion of scrap application of the “Cornerstone Plan” and make new progress
On December 23, 2022 (the 11th) China Iron and Steel Raw Material Market High end Forum was successfully held in the form of video. Luo Tiejun, Vice President of China Iron and Steel Industry Association, attended the meeting and delivered a speech.
Luo Tiejun pointed out that China has already stood at the forefront of steel production in the world and is moving towards a powerful steel country. However, without the guarantee and support of a powerful resource country, the foundation of a strong steel country will not be stable and solid. In order to enhance the resource guarantee capacity and optimize the raw material supply structure, the Association reported to the relevant national ministries and commissions the proposal to carry out the “cornerstone plan”. The National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Natural Resources and other relevant ministries and commissions attached great importance to this and officially launched the “Cornerstone Plan” domestic iron ore resources promotion project.
According to Luo Tiejun, at present, the development of domestic iron ore resources under the “Cornerstone Plan” has achieved remarkable results: First, the approval of iron ore projects in China has been significantly accelerated, and the attitude of various regions towards project approval has changed from the initial inactivity to the current acceleration. Second, fixed asset investment in the industry increased significantly. In the first 10 months of this year, the investment in fixed assets of China’s ferrous metal mining and beneficiation industry increased by 33.2% year on year, ranking first in mining industry. Third, some key projects were accelerated. At present, six key iron ore projects have been started, and the iron concentrate capacity can be increased by nearly 30 million tons after completion. Among them, Anshan West Anshan Iron Mine Project, the largest single underground iron mine in China, was officially started on November 16. The project has a resource reserve of 1.3 billion tons, involving an annual iron concentrate production of 10 million tons, which will provide an overall solution for the green and efficient development of China’s poor iron ore resources. At the same time, the Association is also actively carrying out the “Cornerstone Plan” overseas mine development, scrap recycling and other work.
Luo Tiejun stressed that the iron and steel industry and the iron resource industry are located at the upstream and downstream of basic raw materials, and they are closely related. Efforts should be made to reach consensus on resource development and work together to make the iron and steel industry chain more coordinated, healthier and more sustainable.
China is striving to become a powerful iron and steel country, but it still has a long way to go to become a powerful resource country. Although the work related to the “Cornerstone Plan” has achieved remarkable results, it also faces some problems and challenges. In the next step, China Iron and Steel Industry Association will actively cooperate with the National Development and Reform Commission and other relevant departments, play a good role as a bridge and link, and actively promote the “cornerstone plan” of domestic iron ore development, overseas resource development and expanding the application of scrap to make new progress.
