China's SAMR Releases National Standards for Green Mineral Exploration and Green Mine Construction

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has released a series of national standards, including the Solid Mineral Green Exploration Specification and the Green Mine Construction Specification, according to Jiemian News. The green exploration standard consolidates more than a decade of pilot experience and covers the full process from exploration design and site setup to drilling, waste disposal, ecological restoration, supervision, and project acceptance. The green mine construction standard consists of 10 parts and applies to coal mines, onshore oil and gas fields, iron ore mines, nonferrous metal mines, chemical mines, nonmetal mines, gold mines, sand and gravel mines, limestone mines for cement, and geothermal and mineral water mines. It sets differentiated requirements for resource extraction, comprehensive utilization, green and low-carbon practices, ecological restoration, technological innovation, management, and mine-area environment, and calls for indicators centered on recovery rates, processing recovery rates, and comprehensive utilization rates. The standards also require source reduction and classified use of solid waste, wastewater, and exhaust gas, and shift ecological restoration from post-event repair to full-cycle management. SAMR said the standards will support China's new round of mineral exploration breakthroughs and the coordinated development of resource security and ecological protection.