Additional zinc-lead capacity

The Phase I development of the Zhugongtang lead-zinc mine in Hezhang County, Guizhou Province, is entering its final construction stretch. Full-line wet commissioning is scheduled to commence on 30 September, marking the official start of the trial production phase. Formal operational acceptance and commercial production are targeted by the end of 2026, following successful completion of performance testing and all necessary rectification work.

The deposit ranks among the top ten in China by resource size, with cumulative lead-zinc metal reserves of 5.17 million tonnes. In addition to lead and zinc, the ore body also contains copper and a range of rare metals including germanium, gallium, cadmium, and selenium.

The overall mining project is being advanced in two phases: Phase I is scheduled to achieve integrated feed commissioning on 30 September 2026, with formal operational acceptance targeted by the end of the year. This phase concentrates on bringing the first mining district and the flotation concentrator into operation, targeting an initial processing capacity of 2,000 t/d of ore, producing lead, zinc, and sulphur concentrates while enabling preliminary recovery of associated minerals. Construction of the main processing building and thickener tanks has been completed, equipment installation is over 90% complete, and the semi-autogenous grinding and ball mill circuit successfully passed no-load commissioning on 15 May 2026.

Phase II is scheduled for commissioning by the end of 2027. Upon completion, the mine will reach a total production capacity of 6,000 t/d of ore, with a strategic focus on the high-value extraction of germanium, indium, and other rare metals. At full capacity, the project is expected to produce over 200,000 t/a of zinc concentrate and more than 60,000 t/a of lead concentrate.