Ningxia clarifies timetable and roadmap for comprehensively promoting green mine construction

Recently, seven departments including the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Ecology and Environment, the Department of Finance, and the Department of Market Supervision of the Ningxia Autonomous Region jointly issued the “Notice on Comprehensively Promoting the Construction of Green Mines in the Region”, which clarified the timetable and roadmap for the construction of green mines in the next five years. By the end of 2028, 90% of large-scale, 80% of medium-sized, and 100% of small-scale mines in the region with certificates in production will meet the green mine standards. For production mines with a remaining reserve of less than 3 years, management will be strengthened in accordance with the green mine construction standards, focusing on pollution prevention and control before closure, as well as mine geological environment restoration and management, land reclamation, and vegetation restoration.

“As the responsible entity for green mine construction, mining companies must incorporate the concept of green development into the entire process of mine planning, design, construction, operation, and closure.” The relevant person in charge of the Department of Natural Resources of the Ningxia Autonomous Region introduced that mining companies must strictly implement the requirements of mine development and utilization, ecological restoration, environmental protection, and safe production, and achieve “mining and restoration at the same time” to control the disturbance to the ecological environment within a controllable range. Actively adopt green, low-carbon, advanced and applicable technologies, accelerate green and low-carbon transformation, and include the comprehensive construction of green mines with ecological mining environment, scientific mining methods, efficient resource utilization, standardized enterprise management, and harmonious mining community into the enterprise development plan.

Ningxia Autonomous Region will implement annual plan management for green mine construction. Each city, county (district) shall formulate an annual green mine construction plan at the beginning of the year, and include the certified mines in the jurisdiction at a ratio of no less than 25% into the annual construction plan, create a batch every year, and steadily advance, striving to achieve the final goal ahead of schedule in 2027. Natural resources departments at all levels will also sign green mine construction contracts with mining companies included in the annual construction plan in a timely manner in accordance with the registration authority for the transfer of mining rights, and clarify construction requirements and liability for breach of contract.

Natural resources and other relevant departments at all levels will actively explore and improve the incentive and constraint policies for green mine construction, and actively help green mining companies strive for tax incentives such as high-tech enterprises, environmental protection, energy conservation and water conservation, and comprehensive resource utilization. Green mining enterprises will also be supported in accordance with laws and regulations when mining rights are transferred, integrated, and handled for construction land, forest, grass, and financial loans. Banking financial institutions are encouraged to develop green mining credit products that meet the actual situation in Ningxia on the premise of strengthening environmental, safety, social, and governance risk assessment and management of investment projects in the mining field, and increase financial support for green mining enterprises under the principle of controllable risks and commercial sustainability.

The Ningxia Autonomous Region will entrust a third-party assessment agency to conduct an independent, objective, and fair technical assessment of the mines included in the annual green mine construction plan through public bidding, and conduct on-site inspections of mines in the green mine list at a rate of no less than 20% per year. In addition, mines that do not meet the green mine standards will be removed in a timely manner based on the administrative penalties and rectification implementation of mines that have been included in the green mine list in terms of ecological protection, production safety, etc. Enterprises removed from the green mine list shall not apply for autonomous region-level green mines within 1 year, and shall not apply for national-level green mines within 3 years. After the expiration of the period, they shall re-apply in accordance with the green mine standard requirements and selection and entry procedures.