A major copper and gold discovery in Anhui Province could underpin the development of a large-scale production base in the Yangtze River Delta, one of eastern China's major high-tech manufacturing hubs, marking a significant breakthrough in the country's mineral exploration efforts.

China's Ministry of Natural Resources said Tuesday that the deposit is located in the Chating area of Xuancheng City, Anhui Province. Preliminary estimates indicate that it contains more than 1 million tonnes of copper and over 200 tonnes of gold.

The main orebody is approximately 1.2 kilometers long and 1.1 kilometers wide, with a maximum apparent thickness of 1,371 meters recorded in a single borehole.

Experts note that most of China's "super-large" porphyry copper deposits are concentrated on the country's western plateau. The new discovery's proximity to major industrial centers in eastern China gives it significant advantages in transportation, infrastructure and access to downstream industries.

Both copper and gold are classified by China as strategic minerals.

Copper's high electrical conductivity makes it indispensable for clean-energy equipment, earning it the nickname "new-energy metal." China currently imports more than 70 percent of the copper concentrate it consumes.

Gold is widely purchased in China for jewelry and investment. It also serves as a reserve asset and is used in advanced electronics and specialized materials.

Expanding domestic exploration for energy and mineral resources is a national priority for China and has been incorporated into its broader development plans. Authorities said more than 500 billion yuan ($70 billion) was invested in mineral exploration during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), with market-based funding providing the bulk of the investment.

Against that backdrop, Tuesday's announcement of the Chating deposit was hailed as a major achievement, coming at the outset of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030).

A team from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, led by copper exploration expert Tang Juxing, was dispatched to the site to provide technical support. Tang, who has spent three decades conducting geological work in Xizang, said extensive gypsum-rich layers beneath the Chating area had made exploration particularly difficult.

The Anhui Provincial Department of Natural Resources began surveying the site in 2008. But technical hurdles and questions over the deposit’s economic viability delayed the process, with exploration rights not put up for auction until 2025.

Last October, Xizang Yulong Copper Co., Ltd. won the exploration rights with a bid of 8.6 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) and launched an intensive drilling campaign this year. More than 70 boreholes were completed in just four months, providing a clearer picture of the deposit’s scale and resource potential.

Experts say the findings also challenge the conventional understanding that large porphyry copper-gold deposits are unlikely to form in extensional volcanic basins. Further exploration is planned, as researchers believe similar deposits could be present in other volcanic basins along the Middle–Lower Yangtze metallogenic belt. They have called for the region to be designated a priority area for copper and gold exploration during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.