A signing ceremony between the Chifeng municipal government and Chongqing Bosai Minerals Group Co is held. [Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily]

The Chifeng municipal government and Chongqing Bosai Minerals Group Co (Bosai Group) signed an investment cooperation agreement on Sept 7 for a 3 billion yuan ($447.76 million) high-purity manganese-based new materials project.

The project will have a planned annual capacity of 240,000 metric tons and cover 700 mu (about 46.67 hectares). It is scheduled for completion within 18 months.

Once operational, it is expected to generate an annual output value of 4.5 billion yuan and more than 200 million yuan in tax revenue, while creating about 800 direct jobs and driving more than 2,000 indirect jobs.

The project aims to address a regional shortage of high-quality manganese-based materials and will enhance Chifeng's emerging materials sector. While manganese has long been vital in steel production, it has now gained increased significance in the new-energy industry as a key raw material for lithium manganese iron phosphate batteries.

Bosai Group, with more than 30 years of experience in mining and new materials, holds global reserves of 300 million tons of bauxite and 30 million tons of high-quality manganese ore. Its Chairman, Yuan Zhilun, said Chifeng is an ideal location for the company to expand its industrial footprint.

The project will further develop Chifeng's already established nonferrous metallurgy sector. The city's nonferrous metallurgy industry is well-developed, with output from enterprises above the designated size exceeding 220 billion yuan. As a major gateway in eastern Inner Mongolia, Chifeng is close to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Bohai Rim, with convenient access to seaports and favorable logistics conditions.

The city's renewable energy capacity has reached 17 million kilowatts, providing a strong supply of green power for low-carbon manufacturing.

"The project will leverage Bosai Group's overseas manganese resources and Chifeng's industrial and geographic advantages," said Zhao Zhigang, Chifeng's vice mayor. He added that the project will help accelerate the upgrading of the city's metallurgical industry toward high-end, green, and clustered development.