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Business Standard
8 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
GSI team to visit Zambia to map and explore copper blocks this week
A five-member team of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited (MECL) will visit Zambia this week to map and explore copper blocks, a top official said. This is part of India's national critical minerals mission (NCMM), which aims to extend support to Indian public and private sector companies for mapping and exploration of critical mineral assets in resource-rich countries. Critical minerals are essential for clean energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles (EVs), and energy storage systems. India heavily depends on these imports to meet its domestic needs for lithium, cobalt, and nickel. The demand for these minerals is estimated to more than double by 2030. 'A few days ago, we finalised our Zambia visit. A team of five geologists, including one from MECL, has left for Zambia for mapping and taking the exploration to the next level. The focus is on their copper at this moment, but we will see what else we can find once we are there,' GSI director general Asit Saha told Business Standard in New Delhi. 'The block size is around 9,000 square km. We will be working over a period of three years. It is a reconnaissance visit to set up logistics on ground and the area will be finalised later,' he added. The Zambian government agreed to give 9,000 square km to India for exploration of cobalt and copper, mines Secretary V.L. Kantha Rao had said at a press conference in February. India is exploring mining of critical minerals in Zambia, Congo and Australia, Rao said. It aims to secure raw materials such as lithium under the NCMM. In January, India launched the NCMM to establish a robust framework for self-reliance in the critical minerals sector. Under this mission, the GSI has been tasked with conducting 1,200 exploration projects from 2024-25 to 2030-31. However, the GSI head said that the number of exploration projects will be more than 1200. The Kolkata-headquartered GSI had said in January that it charted an extensive roadmap for the 2025-26 field season with around 1,065 scientific programmes. They include 402 mineral development projects and a 16 per cent jump in the number of critical mineral initiatives. The government approved ₹163 billion ($1.88 billion) to develop the critical minerals sector. All these started with lithium in Jammu and Kashmir. The government, in February 2023, found its first lithium deposits there with estimated reserves of 5.9 million tonnes. It failed to get any bids to auction mining rights in the state. In November 2022, India identified 30 critical minerals, including lithium, as critical for its energy transition efforts and to meet the growing demand from industries and the infrastructure sector.
Mint
06-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
India plans critical mineral recycling scheme amid China supply worries
New Delhi: Amid concerns of rare earth magnet supplies from China, the Union ministry of mines is finalizing an incentive scheme for recycling critical minerals that are used in their manufacturing, top government officials said. The minerals under consideration for recycling include neodymium, dysprosium, terbium and samarium. Speaking to mediapersons in Delhi on the sidelines of a seminar on critical mineral processing, V.L. Kantha Rao, secretary to the ministry of mines, said that a scheme with an allocation of about ₹1,500 crore is in approval stage with the ministry and would also require the nod of the Union cabinet. 'We have thought of incentivizing the recycling of critical minerals. Rare earths are part of critical minerals. If someone says I can recycle old permanent magnets, which is very difficult and says that I would recycle neodymium or one of these four rare earths, then we will incentivize them. The scheme is yet to be approved. It's in the process of seeking approval," Rao said. Addressing the event, Dinesh Mathur, joint secretary to the mines ministry, also said that the scheme is in 'final stages." Also read: China restricts rare earth exports: Will it put the brakes on India's EV ambitions? Further, the mines secretary told mediapersons that the ministry is planning to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act to support the extraction of mine tailings, which are waste material left over after the extraction of minerals. 'Critical minerals require certain amendments in the Act and we will take some amendments to the monsoon session (of Parliament) hopefully. The finance minister (Nirmala Sitharaman) had earlier said that there should be a tailing if you are doing Manganese mining, you can extract Cobalt out of the dump. If you are doing Bauxite mining, from that red mud you can extract Gallium. Basically, we want to incentivize all these trace, critical minerals that are associated with bulk minerals. For that we will have to bring in a royalty structure which is attractive," Rao said. The National Critical Mineral Mission also talks about the regulatory regime to be relaxed to encourage optimum recovery of critical minerals from various sources such as overburden, tailings, fly ash, red mud, and existing mines. Industry supportive of move Speaking to Mint, Pratyush Sinha, vice president, special projects at Lohum, a critical minerals refining and processing company, said the scheme would help India's nascent mineral recycling industry stand on its feet and grow over the next few years to cater significantly to the domestic requirement. Also read: Weapons of wealth: How economic assets turned into war machinery 'This is going to be a major scheme for the entire industry. China has an upper hand as companies there have enjoyed several state benefits. The scheme will help the industry as it is still in the initial stages compared to the magnitude in China. So, it will help in bridging the gap till the sector becomes independent. Although initially recycling of critical minerals will only remain a small part of the overall critical mineral business and demand requirement, going ahead it would take a greater share," Sinha said. The background The development comes at a time when India's automobile industry is struggling to source rare earth magnets from China. On 5 June, Mint reported that applications from India for rare earths remain stuck even as China has resumed exports to other countries. Auto industry representatives told the ministry of heavy industries on 29 May that India's production of conventional and electric vehicles could be hit as early as this month if China doesn't resume exports of rare earth magnets to the country soon. An industry executive said that the supplies of rare earth magnets with the India auto industry currently are adequate for about four weeks. To be sure, China has a monopoly on rare earth magnets, essential for manufacturing of electric-vehicle motors and other auto components. More moves Media reports suggest that the Centre is also considering an incentive scheme to boost manufacturing of rare earth magnets in the country. Recycling of critical minerals is a key initiative under the ₹16,300 crore National Critical Minerals Mission approved by the Union cabinet in January this year. The mission also laid down a plan for formulation of guidelines for recycling of critical minerals to streamline the informal mineral recycling sector in the country. Although India has nearly 7 million tonnes of rare earth reserves, mining of these reserves have not picked up amid lack of investor interest. Plus, the country currently does not have a technology used at mass scale to develop rare earth magnets. Also read: Donald Trump reveals 'very good' call with Xi Jinping, accepts invitation to visit China with Melania Officials aware of the development said that state-run Non Ferrous Materials Technology Development Centre has created a technology to develop rare earth magnets and it may become commercially available within the next six months. India has been in the pursuit of self-dependence in the space of critical minerals as the these minerals are required in several key and strategic sectors including renewable energy, electric mobility, batteries, defence and telecommunications. Apart from efforts to boost domestic production of these minerals including lithium, cobalt, manganese, Centre has also been encouraging India public sector and private sector to look at acquiring assets abroad.
Russia Today
27-02-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
India scouting for critical minerals in Africa and Australia
India is searching for mining opportunities to access critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and copper from Zambia, Congo, and Australia, Indian Mines Secretary V.L. Kantha Rao said on Thursday. The official told reporters that governments in these countries are working with a consortium of Indian state enterprises (KABIL). 'Through our missions, we are working on trying to get critical mineral assets for exploration and mining,' he said. Critical minerals are crucial for the production of technologies such as smartphones and electric vehicles. They include cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel, and rare-earth metals. The Zambian government recently agreed to give India an area of 9,000 square km to carry out exploration of cobalt and copper, Rao stated. He pointed out that the exploration process is expected to take two to three years, and that the government hopes to obtain the mining rights thereafter. As the world increasingly shifts to cleaner and sustainable energy, lithium demand is on the rise, according to industry watchers. In this context, New Delhi is trying to reduce reliance on imports, especially from China, which currently dominates the lithium processing technology sector. In January, the Indian government approved the $1.9 billion National Critical Mineral Mission, a framework for the country's self-reliance in the sector. Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy noted that lithium blocks are in high demand, and the Geological Survey of India has identified several lithium blocks in the northern states of Jammu and Kashmir, and Chhattisgarh. He stated that clarity on the exploration of the blocks is expected to be achieved by the end of April or May, and subsequently, the blocks will be put up for auction. India is on the hunt for critical minerals partly due to a lack of sufficient availability domestically. In December 2024, the Indian government called off an auction of 11 critical mineral mining sites due to a lack of interest, PTI news agency reported. The global lithium supply is currently dominated by Australia and the 'Lithium Triangle,' which comprises Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. Together, these countries hold more than 75% of the world's lithium reserves, with the majority of this supply being shipped to China for processing.
Reuters
27-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
India exploring critical minerals in Zambia, Congo and Australia, official says
NEW DELHI, Feb 27 (Reuters) - India is exploring mining of critical minerals in Zambia, Congo and Australia, Mines Secretary V.L. Kantha Rao said on Thursday, as the world's fastest-growing major economy aims to secure raw materials such as lithium. Companies like Coal India ( opens new tab, NMDC ( opens new tab and ONGC Videsh ( opens new tab are exploring critical minerals in Australia, Rao said. The move comes as India is taking efforts to reduce its reliance on imports of minerals such as lithium, key to energy transition technologies. India is still in the process of developing lithium processing technology, a sector predominantly led by China. The Zambian government has recently agreed to give 9,000 square kilometers to India for exploration of cobalt and copper, Rao said in a media conference, adding that India is also looking at Congo and Tanzania for mining critical minerals. Meanwhile, India's Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy said the country has decided to explore lithium reserves in Jammu and Kashmir and clarity on this is expected by May 2025. The government in February 2023 found its first lithium deposits in Jammu and Kashmir with estimated reserves of 5.9 million metric tons, but has failed to get any bids to auction mining rights in the state. In 2023, India identified over 20 minerals, including lithium, as "critical" for its energy transition efforts and to meet the growing demand from industries and the infrastructure sector. New Delhi in January 2025 approved 163 billion rupees ($1.88 billion) to develop the critical minerals sector.
