Key Points
- The “National Uranium No. 1” (Guo You Yi Hao 国铀一号) facility in Inner Mongolia produced its first uranium on July 12, 2025, marking a significant step for China’s energy independence.
- Built in just 12 months (July 12, 2024 – July 12, 2025), it is now China’s largest and most technologically advanced natural uranium production base.
- The project utilizes advanced in-situ leaching technology and “one-click uranium extraction” to achieve a more than doubled uranium leaching efficiency, emphasizing intelligent and green mining.
- China’s uranium exploration has shifted north, with the Ordos Basin (E’erduosi Pen地 鄂尔多斯盆地) becoming the largest uranium resource base, holding the vast majority of the predicted 2.8 million tons of uranium resources.
China’s massive new uranium project just went live, and it’s a big deal.
On July 12, 2025, the “National Uranium No. 1” (Guo You Yi Hao 国铀一号) facility in Inner Mongolia produced its very first batch of uranium.
This isn’t just another mine.
It’s a major flex in China’s push for energy independence and a clear signal to the global nuclear industry.
Why China’s New Uranium Project is a Global Game-Changer
Natural uranium is the raw fuel for the entire nuclear energy cycle.
It’s the essential material foundation for any country getting serious about nuclear power.
This project is mission-critical for China for a few key reasons:
- Boosts National Energy Security: It drastically reduces the country’s reliance on foreign uranium imports, giving them more control over their energy future.
- Powers the Nuclear Industry: It provides a robust, domestic supply of essential material for China’s rapidly growing fleet of nuclear reactors.
- Increases Global Clout: This move significantly enhances China’s competitiveness and influence on the world’s natural uranium market.
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Built at Warp Speed: From Groundbreaking to Production in 12 Months
This is not your average industrial facility.
The “National Uranium No. 1” demonstration project is now China’s largest and most technologically advanced natural uranium production base.
And they built it insanely fast.
Construction officially kicked off on July 12, 2024.
Exactly one year later, to the day, it was producing its first barrel of uranium.
That sets a new speed record for this kind of construction in China, completely smashing previous project timelines.
The Secret Sauce: Smart Tech and “One-Click” Uranium Extraction
So, how did they pull this off and make it so damn efficient?
They cracked some major technical challenges, especially with a process called in-situ leaching of sandstone-type uranium deposits.
Think of it like making cold brew coffee, but on an industrial, geological scale.
Instead of steeping coffee grounds, you’re pumping a special solution deep underground to dissolve uranium directly out of the porous sandstone, then pumping the uranium-rich solution back to the surface.
The project team had to engineer solutions for some seriously tricky geology:
- Working with strong reducing ore bodies inside thick, water-bearing aquifers.
- Extracting from ore bodies that were low-grade but highly permeable (meaning the solution could flow through easily, but there wasn’t a high concentration of uranium to grab).
- Completely re-engineering how the solution’s flow field works underground to maximize contact with the ore.
Their answer was a new tech stack.
By developing new technologies like “digital well construction” and sophisticated remote intelligent control systems, they achieved a groundbreaking result.
The project’s uranium leaching efficiency has more than doubled.
They’ve effectively implemented “one-click uranium extraction from a thousand miles away,” a massive leap in resource recovery rates and a showcase of a new, intelligent, and green approach to mining.
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- More than doubled uranium leaching efficiency.
- Implementation of “one-click uranium extraction” from a thousand miles away.
- Developed new technologies like “digital well construction.”
- Advanced remote intelligent control systems.
China’s Big Pivot: The New Uranium Hotspot is in the North
This brand-new facility is part of a much larger strategic shift in China’s resource exploration.
For decades, China’s uranium mining was all about volcanic and granite-type deposits found in the country’s southern regions.
But over the past two decades, the real action has moved north.
Geologists have made massive breakthroughs discovering huge sandstone-type uranium deposits in several northern basins.
In 2023, China unveiled ten major uranium exploration achievements.
These findings point to a predicted 2.8 million tons of uranium resources, with the vast majority concentrated in these northern sandstone-type deposits.
The absolute epicenter of this boom is the Ordos Basin (E’erduosi Pen地 鄂尔多斯盆地).
This area has now been solidified as China’s largest uranium resource base, cementing its role as the heart of the nation’s nuclear ambitions and energy strategy.
The launch of the “National Uranium No. 1” is more than just a new facility; it’s a statement.
It’s a powerful demonstration of China’s technological prowess, its unwavering commitment to energy security, and its ambition to become a leader in the global nuclear arena.
This landmark China uranium project is one to watch as it reshapes the global energy landscape for years to come.
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