Chinese news channel CGTN shared news about the massive lithium-ore deposit in Central Hunan Province on July 9, 2025. This a follow-up on the March 31, 2025 announcement on Shanghai Metal Market, of the Chenzhou Chengtai Mining Investment Company discovery. By all accounts, this Chinese lithium ore discovery is huge. It rockets the Asian nation to position two on the global lithium supply chain.
Massive Reserve of Lithium Ore Waiting
This discovery waiting exploitation is in the Jijiaoshan mining area in Linwu County. The remote area south of the town, already yields a rich bounty of other minerals too numerous to mention here.
Interesting Engineering suggests this discovery of lithium metal in a hard rock conglomerate, could further strengthen China’s bargaining position. The estimated 540 million tons of lithium ore could yield 330,000 U.S. tons of lithium oxide.
Canada currently has even larger reserves of lithium metal, in hard rock deposits in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. This as reported by Natural Resources Canada on their website.
However, the Chinese lithium ore discovery might come to market sooner, in view of the Asian nation’s determination to dominate the renewable energy sector, through strong government intervention.
Extracting Lithium From Hard Rock Deposits
Extracting lithium metal from hard rock, usually spondumene, is a multistage mechanical process, following removal of the ore from open-cast mines. This method is distinctly different from brine evaporation at salt flats.
Spondumene is a pyroxene mineral naturally present in many ancient igneous, and metamorphic rocks. The mineral consists of lithium aluminum inosilicate, which makes an important contribution to commercial lithium production.
Hard rock extraction involves crushing, grinding, concentrating, and then chemically treating the lithium-bearing minerals, to produce lithium carbonate or hydroxide.
The yellowish, purplish or greenish spondumene crystals can be as much as forty feet in length. There are currently two popular methods to extract the lithium metal from the crystals. These are acid leaching, and high-temperature pyrometallurgical roasting, at temperatures exceeding 800 °C (1,470 °F).
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Preview Image: Jijiaoshan Mining In Linwu County
