China has listed all new rare earths, minor metal and some base metal smelting projects as restricted, reiterating its plan to curb capacity and protect the environment.
Expansion of existing smelting and exploration operations has also been restricted, and include molybdenum, antimony and tin, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement today, without elaborating. Aluminum smelting was listed as restricted as well as processors of less than 100,000 metric tons per year of crude copper and zinc.
China has been curbing domestic output growth and exports of rare earths and minor metals to conserve resources and protect the environment, tightening global supplies. The government said this month it will immediately suspend approval of new aluminum projects as the world’s biggest producer and consumer of the metal faces overcapacity.
The government last month extended a ban on exploring for rare earths, tungsten and antimony and opening new mines, while raising production limits for existing projects. Rare earths -- 17 chemically similar metals -- are used in hybrid cars and wind turbines, and tungsten is used to toughen steel for machine tools and antimony is used in batteries.
There are 23 aluminum projects with a total capacity of 7.74 million tons being planned now, and if they are all built and put into use, capacity will be more than 30 million tons by the end of 2015, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said April 20. This would be a “huge waste” of resources and capital, it said
