SOME mines in one of China’s major lithium-production hubs have been allowed to restart amid a government investigation that halted activity last week, according to a report in local media outlet Cailian.

A probe into the mining industry in Yichun in Jiangxi Province forced sweeping closures last week. All mines with valid government permits have already resumed production, Cailian reported yesterday.

Yichun has been at the center of a lithium boom in the past two years, as soaring prices turned its low-grade ore — known as lepidolite — into a key source of additional supply.

Mining in Yichun was largely brought to a halt last week as officials from several ministries arrived from Beijing to investigate the sector following reports of unlicensed mining and environmental infringements.

(SD-Agencies)