Deposits of Heavy Metals Required for Crucial Industries

Deposits of Heavy Metals Required for Crucial Industries

India has some deposits of heavy metals and critical minerals essential for crucial industries such as Li-Ion batteries, semiconductor technology, and computing. However, the extent to which these deposits are significant and financially viable varies. These deposits are scattered across different regions of the country, with varying levels of accessibility and extraction feasibility. The details are as under:

 

 

          No. Currently, there are no working mining leases for cobalt, nickel, lithium, and neodymium in the country for production purposes.

However, India has mining and production of some critical metals, although it still largely depends on imports to meet its demand. There are 54 mining leases of critical minerals viz. graphite, rock phosphate and tin ore, in the country and the details are as follows :

 

Mineral

Number of Leases

Working

Non-Working

Graphite

32

9

23

Rock Phosphate

7

6

1

Tin Ore

15

5

10

Grand Total

54

20

34

 

The projected annual requirement of critical minerals such as cobalt, nickel, lithium, neodymium etc. in the next few years is as follows:

(in tonnes)

Mineral

2025

2026

2027

2030

Cobalt

17

49

147

3,878

Lithium

58

174

517

13,671

Nickel

2,629

3,057

6,663

17,492

Neodymium

223

261

830

766

 

As regards the steps being undertaken to conduct the exploration of such resources, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) is involved in exploration of critical minerals/metals with special emphasis on exploration of areas, which are potential for critical and strategic minerals and has given thrust to increase the number of exploration projects across the country. GSI has increased its exploration projects for critical and strategic minerals from 118 nos. in 2021-22 to 196 nos. in 2024-25. Since amendment of MMDR Act, 2015, the details of cumulative resource augmented by GSI for critical and strategic minerals at various cut off and different average grade is as follows:

 

S.No.

Commodity

Resource

(in million tonnes)

1

Rare Earth Elements (REE) ore

230.0

2

Lithium

12.3

3

Gallium ore

74.0

4

Graphite ore

32

5

Niobium ore

282.0

6

Vanadium ore

71.0

7

Cobalt

275 tonnes

8

Tin ore

3.0

9

Tungsten ore

21.5

10

Molybdenum ore

1.7

11

Platinum Group Elements (PGE) ore

1.0

12

Nickel ore

4.7

 

In order to promote exploration of critical and deep-seated minerals, a new mineral concession namely, Exploration Licence has been introduced for 29 deep-seated minerals, of which many are of critical minerals, which will permit the licencee to undertake reconnaissance and prospecting operations for these minerals. GSI has handed over 20 blocks for auction as exploration license to State Governments of which 12 blocks are notified for auction by State of Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

In order to encourage private participation in exploration, Ministry of Mines has notified 23 private exploration agencies (NPEAs). These agencies are taking up exploration projects through funding from National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET).

As regards the mining of such resources, the Central Government has amended the “Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957”, in 2023 to empower Central Government to exclusively auction blocks for 24 critical and strategic minerals mentioned in part D to the Schedule-I of the MMDR Act, 1957. So far, 14 critical mineral blocks [Mining Lease-2, Composite Licence-12] have been successfully auctioned having minerals viz., Lithium, Rare Earth Elements (REE), Graphite, Vanadium, Nickel, Chromium, Glauconite, Platinum Group of Elements (PGE) and Phosphorite. These blocks are spread across the States of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Earlier, State Governments had auctioned 30 blocks of critical minerals. So far, a total of 44 blocks of critical minerals have been auctioned by the Central Government and various State Governments as per table given below:

 

Mineral

Auctioned Blocks

Mining Lease

Composite Licence

Basemetal

4

0

4

Glauconite (Potash)

5

0

5

Graphite

14

6

8

Graphite Vanadium

2

1

1

Lithium and Rare Earth Elements

(REE)

 

1

 

0

 

1

Nickel, Chromium and associated Platinum Group Elements (PGE)

minerals

 

 

4

 

 

0

 

 

4

Phosphorite

6

1

5

Rock Phosphate

4

1

3

Graphite and Manganese

2

2

0

Basemetal & Associated Minerals

2

0

2

Grand Total

44

11

33

 

This information was given by Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

 

Annexure-I

Reserves/resources of Critical minerals as per NMI as on 01.04.2020

 

Sl.No.

Mineral

Unit

Reserve

Remaining

Resources

Total Resources

1.

Cobalt (Ore)

Million

Tonnes

0

45

45

2.

Graphite

Tonne

85,63,411

20,30,60,176

21,16,23,587

3.

Molybdenum

Ore

Tonne

0

2,72,03,398

2,72,03,398

Contained MoS2

Tonne

0

16,890.56

16,890.56

4.

Nickel Ore

Million

Tonnes

0

189

189

5.

Rock Phosphate

Tonne

3,08,76,093

28,03,77,392

31,12,53,485

6.

Platinum group of metals (PGM)

Tonnes of Metal

Contained

0

20.92

20.92

7.

Potash *

Million

Tonnes

0

23,091

23,091

8.

Rare Earth Elements

(REE)

Tonne

0

4,59,727

4,59,727

9.

Tin

 

 

 

 

Ore

Tonne

2,101

8,37,20,794

8,37,22,895

Metal

Tonne

973.99

1,02,782.91

1,03,756.90

10.

Titanium @

Tonne

1,59,98,625

41,11,08,526

42,71,07,150

11.

Tungsten

Ore

Tonne

0

8,94,32,464

8,94,32,464

Metal

Tonne

0

1,44,650.07

1,44,650.07

12.

Vanadium

 

 

 

 

Ore

Tonne

0

2,46,33,855

2,46,33,855

Contained V2O5

Tonne

0

64,594.01

64,594.01

13.

Zircon

Tonne

6,69,466

16,74,435

23,43,901

Figures rounded off

*contains glauconite, polyhalite, sylvite.

@ contains ilmenite, rutile, leucoxene and anastase.

 

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