Xinjiang Hua’ou Mining has commissioned its Ka'erqia'er Fluorite Mine in China located in the hinterland of the Altun Mountains in Xinjiang Province.

The Ka'erqia'er (also referred to as Karchar or Karqier) fluorite mine, located in Ruoqiang County, Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, officially commenced production on 20 September 2025. Construction at the Ka'erqia'er fluorite mine project began in March 2024 after the company secured its construction permit.

The Ka'erqia'er fluorite reserves represent 15% of China's proven fluorite reserves, and preliminary estimates indicate that the mining area contains up to 22.5Mt of CaF2. The ore will be extracted using underground mining methods, and the mine is projected to have a lifespan of 41 years.

This project is anticipated to produce 1.2Mtpy of fluorspar ore, with a flotation plant designed to process 4kt of ore daily.

The mine is expected to produce acid-grade fluorspar (acidspar) to supply Li-ion battery electrolyte and fluorochemical markets in China. China has been facing fluorspar supply shortages since 2023, prompting the country to boost its imports of metspar, mainly from Mongolia, to satisfy demand.

Some of the lower grade metspar has been processed to higher grades to be utilised as feedstock for producing hydrofluoric acid in the country. The shortages arose after domestic demand growth saw internal markets satisfied first, resulting in a significant 70% decline in acidspar exports, which fell to 55kt in 2024.

The addition of the Ka'erqia'er mine to China's fluorspar production will help address domestic supply shortages and increase the availability of fluorspar to key end-use markets, such as aluminium production and the rapidly growing EV industry, both of which have experienced increased demand in recent years.