61: Chapter 61 Astonishing Reserves

Gradually, the expressions on many of their faces became quite fascinating.

A young technician even exclaimed, "Good heavens, this is high-quality thermal coal! The sulfur and phosphorus content should be very low!"

"Yes, yes, that's absolutely correct. Furthermore, the calorific value should be very high!"

Seeing them like this, Qin Chuan and the other township leaders were slightly stirred. Really? Is the coal quality that good?

Ma Zhengnan was the first who couldn't hold back, "Professor and Chief Engineer Cheng Weijia, is the quality of this coal really that good?"

Professor and Chief Engineer Cheng Weijia nodded, "Based on a preliminary assessment, this coal is high-quality thermal coal with low sulfur and phosphorus, and high calorific value!"

Really! A wave of surprise and joy swept through everyone!

What the market needs right now is basically thermal coal, especially high-quality thermal coal with high calorific value. Such coal is a hot commodity; there is no worry about sales at all.

Professor and Chief Engineer Cheng Weijia said, "The specific index data will only be known after our instruments and equipment arrive and we conduct the laboratory tests."

Although the specific index data was not yet known, it wouldn't be far off; the status of it being high-quality thermal coal was basically confirmed.

With such a start, not only were Professor and Chief Engineer Cheng Weijia and his team full of energy, but Qin Chuan and his team were also filled with motivation.

For almost the entire day, everyone stayed in the area of the Jiucailing Coal Mine.

As for Professor and Chief Engineer Cheng Weijia, accompanied by Qin Chuan and the others, he surveyed the area. Although the equipment had not yet arrived and they only had primitive tools in hand, such as magnifying glasses and prospecting picks, they still made quite a few delightful discoveries.

All signs indicated that this area had astonishing coal reserves, and Professor and Chief Engineer Cheng Weijia gradually changed his initial opinion.

He originally thought that a reserve of a few million tons, or ten million tons at most, would be the ceiling. Now it seemed it was far more than that.

To determine exactly how large the reserves were, professional equipment and comprehensive, in-depth exploration were needed.

Thus, a scene unfolded where Professor and Chief Engineer Cheng Weijia personally made several phone calls, urging that the exploration equipment be brought over sooner.

By four or five in the afternoon, the first batch of exploration workers and several pieces of professional equipment finally arrived at the Jiucailing Coal Mine. They were originally not scheduled to arrive until tomorrow or even the day after.

As soon as these pieces of equipment arrived, disregarding that it was already four or five in the afternoon, under the direction of Professor and Chief Engineer Cheng Weijia, the first batch of drilling sites was determined.

At dusk, amidst the afterglow of the setting sun, the first piece of equipment was installed and began to work. The drill bit started to bore through the soil layer, drilling down bit by bit.

Even at night, the place was brightly lit as one piece of equipment after another began to operate.

Two days later, almost all the equipment was in place. Standing anywhere from a few dozen meters to two or three hundred meters apart, the drilling rigs stood upright, rumbling as they worked.

Professor and Chief Engineer Cheng Weijia became increasingly excited, as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

More and more signs indicated that this was a coalfield with huge reserves; a conservative estimate suggested the reserves could be as high as hundreds of millions of tons.

As for the exact amount, it could be fully determined in ten days to half a month at most; he was even confident in building a three-dimensional model of the coal distribution.

The news gradually spread. Not only the cadres and masses of Dahe Township, but many people in Sanjiang County were also heatedly discussing this matter.

"Dahe Township has really had a stroke of incredible luck. I heard the reserves of the Jiucailing Coal Mine might be as high as hundreds of millions of tons!"

"Good heavens, such huge reserves, I simply cannot believe it!"

"I'm so envious of them. With such a large coal mine, won't Dahe Township just take off directly!"

Qin Chuan went to see County Party Secretary Cao Zhengwang once again to report on the exploration situation of the Jiucailing Coal Mine.

Ever since he learned that the coal mine's reserves might be as high as hundreds of millions of tons, County Party Secretary Cao Zhengwang had shown great concern. It wasn't just him; County Magistrate Zhang Yuansong and other county leaders were receiving constant phone calls.

Qin Chuan simply reported the exploration progress to the leaders every day, sometimes by phone, sometimes in person. Today, he had come to the county again to report the situation to the leaders in person.

After listening to Qin Chuan's report, County Party Secretary Cao Zhengwang appeared very excited. He didn't even remain seated in his office chair but stood up and paced back and forth in his office with excitement.

Only one thought was in his mind: we've hit the jackpot, we're rich, Sanjiang County's economy is going to leap forward!

He even thought about whether to bring this coal mine under county ownership. But this thought was quickly suppressed by him.

If it were anyone else, he would have seized the coal mine without a second thought. But this was Qin Chuan, the son of the Provincial Party Secretary, so he couldn't do that, even though he really wanted to seize the mine.

Finally, he stopped and tentatively asked, "Comrade Qin Chuan, what plans and intentions do you have for this coal mine, especially regarding its operation and management?"

Ever since he knew the coal mine had huge reserves, Qin Chuan had been thinking about this matter. Contracting it out, it was impossible to continue contracting it out to third parties. It must be operated and managed by Dahe Township itself.

Qin Chuan said, "Secretary Cao, regarding this aspect, I have basically thought it through. We, Dahe Township, will register and establish a specialized company to carry out the mining, operation, and management of this coal mine..."

He spoke without much reservation, sharing some of his ideas and plans.

After listening, County Party Secretary Cao Zhengwang sighed slightly in his heart, knowing that the hope of bringing the coal mine under county ownership was dashed. The other party was the son of the Provincial Party Secretary, and he really dared not go against the wishes of Qin Chuan.

Nodding, County Party Secretary Cao Zhengwang agreed, "Hmm, your line of thinking is very correct, and the county fully supports it!" There was no other way; he could only express his stance like this!

After reporting to County Party Secretary Cao Zhengwang, Qin Chuan went to sit with County Magistrate Zhang Yuansong and a few other county leaders to report on the exploration situation of the Jiucailing Coal Mine and, while he was at it, mention his plans.

Such a large coal mine was a veritable gold mine. Qin Chuan was very clear that many people would be jealous, and he reckoned that many people in the county wanted to bring this coal mine under county ownership, so he would state his plans in advance to cut off their thoughts in this regard.

The news spread quickly. Many leaders in Dongzhou City knew that the Jiucailing Coal Mine had discovered high-quality coal with astonishing reserves, and many leaders personally called Sanjiang County to inquire, expressing great concern.

Young Master Fu also heard about this. He had originally planned to give up on this coal mine, but after hearing that the reserves might be as high as hundreds of millions of tons, his heart gradually began to burn with desire.

He quickly threw his father's warning to the back of his mind, thinking to himself that this coal mine must be pocketed; its subsequent contracting and operating rights must belong to him!

He originally wanted to send someone to Dahe Township first to test the waters, but thinking that the coal mine's reserves were so huge, many people might have their eyes on it; there was no time to lose, and this matter could not be delayed. Thus, he personally went to Dahe Township.

Furthermore, he even dragged along a county leader to act as a lobbyist. And so, a total of two cars drove into the courtyard of the Dahe Township Government, one after the other.

The first car was the vehicle of Executive Vice County Magistrate Yu Kenan, and the second, a Mercedes-Benz off-road vehicle, was Young Master Fu's vehicle.