1 billion-ton oil fields and 19 billion-meter gas fields were newly discovered, and more than 10 large-scale uranium deposits were discovered, and the uranium ore resources increased significantly - a series of major mineral exploration results in my country were released on January 14.

The Ordos Basin has "a good oil and a lot of uranium" and can be called the "grape pot" of my country's energy. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Shi Qiang)

The press conference on the important achievements of the Ministry of Natural Resources’ new round of breakthrough strategic action for mineral exploration announced that my country has discovered the world’s first ultra-deep water and super shallow large gas field, with new natural gas proven geological reserves exceeding 100 billion cubic meters. 1 billion-ton oil fields and 19 billion-meter gas fields have been newly discovered. Deep coalbed methane exploration and development have entered the fast lane, and proven geological reserves have exceeded 500 billion cubic meters. The Sanmenxia Basin has achieved new breakthroughs in oil and gas investigations, and has a leading and exemplary role in oil and gas exploration in small and medium-sized basins across the country.

The amount of uranium ore resources in my country has increased significantly, consolidating the resource base of five large uranium ore bases including Yili and Ordos, and 10 large uranium deposits have been discovered; through the connection between public welfare geological surveys and commercial mineral exploration, and oil and uranium exploration, super-large uranium ore was discovered in Jingchuan, Gansu.

Xiong Zili, director of the Geological Exploration Management Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said that my country is the world's largest energy producer and consumer, and the stable supply of energy and structural adjustments are related to the national economy, people's livelihood and ecological civilization construction. Conventional oil and gas and uranium mineral exploration has continuously made new discoveries, and unconventional oil and gas such as deep coalbed methane and ultra-deep water natural gas have achieved major breakthroughs. The oil and gas storage and production ratio has steadily increased, the amount of uranium mineral resources has increased significantly, and the self-sufficiency capacity of clean energy has been significantly improved.

At the same time, major breakthroughs have been made in the prospecting of bulk minerals such as copper, aluminum, and iron, laying the resource foundation for a manufacturing power. Major breakthroughs have been made in related minerals related to strategic emerging industries such as lithium, zirconium, hafnium, helium, and rare earths, providing strong guarantees for the security of industrial chains and supply chains in strategic emerging fields. The resources of advantageous minerals such as tungsten, molybdenum, antimony, fluorite, and graphite have achieved significant growth, and the resource advantages have been further consolidated.

Green becomes the background color of mineral exploration, which is a green mine in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Zhipeng

Since the implementation of the new round of breakthrough strategic action for mineral exploration, my country has adhered to the leadership of scientific and technological innovation and equipment construction, and increased organization and implementation efforts. The main responsible person of the Ministry of Natural Resources took the lead and established a strategic action office for the new round of breakthrough strategic action for mineral exploration, and coordinated with relevant ministries and commissions, local party committees and governments and enterprises to improve approval efficiency and release institutional dividends. In 2024, more than 1,400 strategic mineral exploration blocks were provided nationwide, setting a new high in the past decade. The central and local governments have increased their investment and led to active investment in social funds. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, a total of 400 billion yuan of mineral exploration funds have been invested, exceeding 100 billion yuan for two consecutive years in 2023 and 2024. (Reporter Wang Libin)