The Myanmar Taguang Taung Nickel Ore Project Mining System, with joint investment from China Nonferrous Group and Taiyuan Iron and Steel (Group) Co. Ltd. (TISCO), has been put into operation, authorities said Friday.

The project's smelting system will be put into operation within the year, said Yang Haigui, secretary of the Communist Party Committee of TISCO.

The project is the biggest cooperative mining project between China and Myanmar and is expected to provide 85,000 tonnes of high grade ferro-nickel annually upon completion.

"The construction of the project can help alleviate the shortage of nickel resources in China," Yang said.

Located on the bank of the Fenhe River in Taiyuan, a city in north China's Shanxi Province, TISCO is the world's largest stainless steel enterprise with an annual output of 10 million tonnes of steel. The company's products include stainless steel, cold rolled silicon steel and high strength and toughness steel.