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Sulphur 425 Jul-Aug 2026

13 July 2026

Yuntianhua gives go ahead for giant phosphate mine

Yuntianhua gives go ahead for giant phosphate mine

The board of Yunnan Yuntianhua gave the go ahead for the development of a massive underground phosphate mine in Yunnan province on 14th May. The major Chinese producer part owns the mine project through a 35% stake in its developer Julin New Materials. The other three owners are Yuntianhua Group (55%), Zhaotong Development Group (9%) and Zhenxiong Chanyi Investment (1%).

Julin New Materials plans to build a 10 million tonne per year underground mine to exploit the Wanchang phosphate deposit in Zhenxiong county, Yunnan. Total investment is estimated at yuan 8.16 billion ($1.13 billion). This includes yuan 980.9 million ($135 million) already spent on exploration and securing mining rights, plus around yuan 7.06 billion ($978 million) of new capex and working capital. Yuntianhua has committed equity to the project in line with its 35% ownership stake.

The phosphate rock concentrate produced by the new Wanchang mine is earmarked for the future production of purified phosphoric acid, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery materials, as well as P4, flame retardants, water-soluble fertilisers and controlled-release fertilisers.

The mining project’s five year construction schedule is slated to start in December 2026.

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