3.7.2.1 Production

As a result of more than 40 years' construction and development on the basis of explored and proved copper resources, a complete system of Chinese copper industry, including mining, dressing and smelting, has been established.

In 1996 the comprehensive production capacity of mining-dressing-smelting reached as high as 852,600 tons (self-produced raw material), the comprehensive capacity of mining and dressing (metal content)-425,100 tons, the comprehensive capacity of smelting-1,161,200 tons. In 1998, the annual copper output totaled up to 1,211,300 tons (among which 870,500 tons from copper ores and 427,500 tons from miscellaneous copper materials). Now, in terms of copper output China ranks fourth in the world, only next to USA, Chile and Japan. Especially since the "Eighth Five-Year Plan period" the copper industry of China has recorded a rapid, sound and sustained development (Tables 3.7.2 and 3.7.3).

Table 3.7.2 The production capacity of China's copper industry(1990~1997,t)

Table 3.7.3 The output of main products of the copper industry(1990~1998;¡Á103t)

Table 3.7.4The principal technico-economic indexes of mining, dressing and smelting of the copper industry(1990~1998)

In recent 10 years the principal technico-economic indexes of mining, dressing and smelting of the copper industry have been increased distinctly through technical upgrading, reconstruction and expansion of the factories and mines, set up in the 50s and 60s, construction of new factories and mines, and introduction of advanced technological equipments, as well as intensification of technical management (Table 3.7.4).

3.7.2.2 Distribution of Production

Based upon the available copper resources, identified in geological exploration, the geographic distribution of deposits and the conditions of construction, now more than one hundred State-run mines have been built up. Among them 31 mines are of direct affiliation to China Copper-Lead-Zinc Group Corporation (CCLZ). Now seven large bases of copper industry, with the mines as their main bodies, have been taken shape in China.

1) The Jiangxi copper base.The copper resources are abundant in Jiangxi, ranking first in China, with explored copper industrial reserves (A+B+C categories, the same below) accounting for 1/3 of the country's total. It is the largest base of copper industry in China. In 1978 the Jiangxi copper base was listed as one of national key construction projects. Now the Jiangxi Copper Industrial Company, founded in 1979, owns "six mines and two factories" i.e. the Dexing Copper Mine, the Yongping Copper Mine, the Wushan Copper Mine, the Dongxiang Copper Mine, the Chengmenshan Copper Mine (in construction), the Yinshan Lead-Zinc-Copper Mine, the Guixi Smelting Factory, and the Shanghai Smelting Factory. The six large and medium-sized mines altogether possess 13.87 million tons of explored copper reserves. Dexing is a superlarge copper (molybdenum) field, and its Tongchang mine had 100,000 t/d of mining and dressing capacity in 1993, thus becoming one of the extra large mines in Asia. Now the five operating mines produce 102,000 tons of copper concentrates annually (1996), accounting for 1/3 of CCLZ's total copper concentrate output, and occupying 1/4 of the country's total. The Jiangxi Copper Industrial Company produced 201,600 tons of electrolytic copper in 1996 (in which 116,500 tons produced by the Guixi Smelting Factory), accounting for 1/3 of CCLZ copper output, and 1/5 of the country's total.

2) The Yunnan copper base.Yunnan province is rich in copper resources, with explored copper industrial reserves ranking second in China. The base is composed of "four mines and one factory", i.e., the large to medium-sized; Dongchuan, Yimen, Dayao and Moding Mines and the Yunnan Smelting Factory. The recently established Yunnan Copper Industry (Group) Company Ltd. produced 100,000 tons of electrolytic copper and 50,000 tons of copper concentrate in 1996, becoming the second large copper industrial base in China.

3) The Baiyin copper base.The Baiyinchang area (Gansu) is one of the copper enriched regions in China, composed of the Zheyaoshan, Huoyanshan, Tongchanggou, Xiaotieshan, Sigequan and other deposits. To develop the Baiyinchang copper resources, the Baiyin Nonferrous Metals Company was set up in 1954, and the construction of the mine, including mining, dressing and smelting facilities was enumerated as one of the key construction projects of the First Five-Year Plan, thus raising the curtain on the construction of large copper enterprise in the 1950s. As a result of three-year large-scale construction (1957~1959), two open-pit mines (Zheyaoshan and Huoyanshan), a dressing plant and a smeltery were built up at a high tempo, with good quality. The originally designed production capacity was 30,000 tons of copper per year, but after technological remoulding it reached as high as 50,000 tons, thus becoming a then large mining, dressing and smelting complex, producing the largest quantity of copper in China. In 1996, a total of 60,000 tons of electrolytic copper was produced.

4) The Northeast copper base.This base is composed of a series of medium to small sized mines. In 1948~1950, the Qingyuan Copper (Gold) Mine, the Huatong Copper Mine, the Furong Copper Mine, and the Malugou Copper Mine (Liaoning), the Shizuizi Copper Mine and the Tianbaoshan Copper-Lead-Zinc Mine (Jilin) resumed their production. In January of 1949, the Shenyang Smeltery also resumed operation. Since then, the first copper mining, dressing and smelting base has appeared in the Northeast of China, laying a foundation for development of China's copper industry, and has played a pioneering role in this field. In the 50s-60s this copper base provided nonferrous metal enterprises across China with large numbers of managers and technical personnel and substantially supported the development of the copper industry of China. In the 1960s the above-said mines were abandoned successively and closed due to the exhaustion of resources. The North-east copper base could go on with operation, and produce 50,000 tons of copper concentrate, because the Hengren, Hongtoushan and other mines had replaced the old ones, and at the same time, it purchased mineral raw materials from outside. In 1996, 70,000 tons of electrolytic copper were produced. Especially the Duobaoshan large porphyry copper deposit is expected to be developed, which can be made a supply base of mineral raw materials for the Shenyang Smeltery, so the Northeast copper base still has a great potential in future production.

5) The Tongling copper base.The Tongling area (Anhui) is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with abundant copper resources and excellent conditions for mine construction. The copper reserves of a series of explored large to medium-sized deposits, such as the Tongguanshan, Shizishan, Datuanshan, Dongguashan, Fenghuangshan, Xinqiao, Guichi, Anqing, Langyashan, and Shaxi deposits, totaled more than three million tons. It was the first base, which produced 10,000 tons of copper annually during the "First Five-Year Plan" period. Now the Tongling Nonferrous Metals Company possesses six mines and two smelteries, with 42,000 tons of copper concentrate and 46,500 tons of electrolytic copper produced in 1996, and is a large mining, dressing and smelting complex.

6) The Daye copper base. The Daye, Huangshi and Yangxin area (Hubei) is rich in copper resources, with explored copper reserves totalling 3.6 million tons. Now the Daye Nonferrous Metals Company possesses "six mines and two factories", i.e. the Tonglushan, Fengshandong, Tongshankou, Chimashan, Dayetongchang and Xinye large-medium-sized copper mines, a copper smeltery, and a copper material processing factory. In 1996, the company produced nearly 20,000 tons of copper concentrate, 61,600 tons of crude copper, and 45,600 tons of electrolytic copper. It is a large mining, dressing, smelting and processing complex.

7) The Zhongtiaoshan copper base.    Since the 1950s the Tongkuangyu, Xiaoxigou, Hujiayu, Bizigou, Luojiahe and other large to medium-sized copper deposits have been explored in the Zhongtiaoshan area, Shanxi province, with more than 3.30 million tons of copper reserves identified. To develop the copper resources in this area, the Zhongtiaoshan Nonferrous Metals Company was set up in 1956. Now it has in possession "three mines and two factories", i.e. the Tongkuangyu, Hujiayu and Bizigou large to medium-sized copper mines, and a smeltery and a factory of electrolytic copper, thus forming a large complex, incorporating mining, dressing and smelting. In 1996, 27,200 tons of copper concentrate, 26,000 tons of crude copper and 11,600 tons of electrolytic copper were produced.

In general, since 1950s, taking the seven large copper bases as the foundation, seven large complexes, incorporating mining, dressing and smelting, 14 large to medium-sized crude copper smelteries and 67 electrolytic copper factories have been set up. Table 3.7.5 shows the major enterprises.

Table 3.7.5 Brief introduction of major copper-producing enterprises