NEWS – The Ministry of Mines held a two day “Critical Minerals Summit: Enhancing Beneficiation and Processing Capabilities” in New Delhi

HIGHLIGHTS

• Purpose of the Summit
  • Facilitate collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation in critical mineral beneficiation and processing.
  • Address the need for domestic supply of Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) for renewable energy and electric vehicles.
• Stakeholders
  • Diverse participation: industry leaders, startups, government officials, scientists, academics, and policy experts.
  • Focus on dialogue, workshops, and collaboration.
• Key Focus Areas
  • Mineral auction progress and policy incentives for CRM ecosystem development.
  • Commercially viable and environmentally sustainable solutions.
• Technical Sessions
  • Eight key minerals discussed: Glauconite (Potash), Lithium – Rare Earth Elements (Laterite), Chromium, Platinum Group, Graphite, Tungsten associated with Graphite, Rare Earths (RE), and Vanadium associated with Graphite.
  • Opportunities for business collaboration and knowledge exchange.

CRITICAL MINERALS

• Critical minerals are elements crucial for modern technologies, economies, or national security, with a risk of supply chain disruption
• Applications
  • Essential for advanced technologies like mobile phones, computers, semiconductors, and defense systems.
  • Key components in low-emission technologies such as electric vehicles and renewable energy systems.
  • Used in everyday products like stainless steel and electronics.
• Examples and Top Producers
  • Examples include antimony, beryllium, cobalt, lithium, vanadium, etc.
  • Top producers globally are Chile, Indonesia, Congo, China, Australia, and South Africa.
• Critical Minerals in India
  • India’s list of 30 critical minerals includes elements like lithium, cobalt, copper, graphite, and rare earth elements (REE).
  • These minerals are crucial for India’s technological and economic growth, emphasizing the need for domestic production and supply chain security.