Latest news with #AtomicMineralsDirectorateforExplorationandResearch
The Diplomat
2 days ago
- Business
- The Diplomat
India's Northeast Identified as Promising Area for Rare Earth Elements and Critical Minerals
The Geological Survey of India says that Arunachal Pradesh and Assam are promising zones for graphite, vanadium and REEs. India's border region of the Northeast has been identified as an area with 'promising' deposits of rare earth elements and critical minerals essential for digital and defense manufacturing, and clean energy transition. After years of research and exploration, the state-owned Geological Survey of India (GSI) has concluded that 'the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam have emerged as promising zones for graphite, vanadium, REEs, base metals, gold, coal and limestone, while Meghalaya and Nagaland hold extensive resources of limestone, coal, and minor strategic metals.' The 63-page report by GSI added that the country's growing demand for such resources underlines 'the need to identify and develop domestic sources, particularly in geologically promising regions such as the northeast.' The rare earth elements (REE) are a set of 17 metallic elements grouped into light and heavy categories. They are necessary for the production of more than 200 consumer products, such as cellular telephones, computer hard drives, electric and hybrid vehicles, and televisions. Defense applications include guidance systems, lasers, electronic displays, and radar and sonar systems. India's northeastern states, especially the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, have been known for their hydrocarbon reserves since the colonial era. Rich deposits of uranium have also been discovered in Meghalaya, but extraction of these deposits has been opposed by local organizations. The GSI report identified Lodoso village in Arunachal Pradesh's Papum Pare district as having 2.15 million tons of REE-bearing ferruginous phyllite, a type of metamorphic rock. In Assam, the concentrations of REE ranged from 1,000 to 5,000 parts per million, while it was between 3,646 and 5,100 parts in Meghalaya. The GSI's estimate of REE deposits in the Northeast is part of the total of 482.6 metric tons of various cut-off grades in 34 exploration projects in the country. The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) has identified around 7.23 million tons across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. The discovery of REEs in the Northeast assumes importance given India's heavy dependence on importing finished products while exporting raw REE ore. India's REE imports are primarily sourced from China, which comprised 81 percent of imports in 2022. China is the world's leading exporter of rare earth magnets and has imposed export restrictions on REE and finished magnets. As part of its strategy to diversify the sourcing of rare earths, the Indian government established the Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. (KABIL) in 2019 as a joint venture between the National Aluminum Company Ltd., Hindustan Copper Ltd., and Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Ltd. Its goal is to secure access to mineral resources abroad. India signed agreements for the supply of lithium with several countries, including one with Argentina in 2024. Early this year, the government approved the launch of the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) to be implemented over seven years till 2031 to boost domestic manufacturing of rare earth magnets. India's overseas endeavor began last year when it joined the Mineral Security Partnership (MSP), a U.S.-led initiative of 14 countries, which is aimed at securing supply chains for critical minerals. India's engagement with Japan and Australia under the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) is also aimed at reducing dependence on China. In July, a joint statement was released in Washington during the Quad Foreign Ministers meeting, announcing the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, through which the four-nation grouping plans to secure a steady supply of critical minerals and reduce dependence on China. The GSI has already handed over 38 blocks for exploration across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Nagaland in the Northeast, of which seven have already been auctioned. These blocks cover a range of mineral commodities, including graphite, vanadium, REE, limestone, iron ore, glass sand, copper, nickel, chromium, and cobalt. The GSI believes that India's northeastern region could be central to the 'national strategy for mineral security.' Due to topographical challenges, complex geology, remoteness, and political instability, the resources of the Northeast had remained largely unexplored. This could change now as India surges on the path of self-reliance in critical and industrial minerals.
India.com
23-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
JACKPOT for India as country has 8.52 million tonnes reserves of rare earth elements, they are located in these cities, names are...
JACKPOT for India as country has 8.52 million tonnes reserves of rare earth elements, they are located in these cities, names are... India has about 7.23 million tonnes of Rare Earth Oxide (REO), found in around 13.15 million tonnes of monazite, a mineral that contains both thorium and rare earths. These are mainly located in beach sands, red and teri sands, and inland river areas across several states like Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. Apart from this, another 1.29 million tonnes of rare earths are present in hard rock areas of Gujarat and Rajasthan. This information was shared in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh. He mentioned that the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), which works under the Department of Atomic Energy, is actively searching for more rare earth minerals across the country. Their work includes exploring coastal areas, river sands, and hard rock regions where these minerals are likely to be found. Discovery of 482.6 million tonnes of rare earth ore Jitendra Singh also revealed that the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has found about 482.6 million tonnes of rare earth ore through 34 different exploration projects across various parts of the country. He also mentioned that in the last 10 years, India has exported just 18 tonnes of rare earth minerals and hasn't imported any during this time. To address the challenges caused by export bans on rare earth magnets by certain countries, Singh said that the Ministry of External Affairs is actively working with other nations and international partners. India is continuing discussions at both bilateral (one-on-one) and multilateral (involving multiple countries) levels to boost cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, including rare earth minerals and related technologies. These efforts are aimed at keeping supply chains stable and protecting the interests of Indian businesses that rely on these materials. The Ministry of Mines is taking major steps to ensure that India has a stable and secure supply of key minerals, especially Rare Earth Elements. These minerals play a crucial role in producing electric vehicles, clean energy technologies like solar panels and wind turbines, and essential defence systems. To meet this need, the Indian government is forming strong ties with countries that have rich reserves of these minerals. Minerals such as lithium, cobalt, graphite, titanium, and rare earths are in high demand because they are vital to many fast-growing industries. To support these sectors and keep the supply chain strong, the Ministry has also brought in several important policy changes and reforms.
