Reuters has reported that India plans to provide nearly $50 million to fund collaborations between research institutes and companies to further aid critical minerals extraction as the country tries to cut its near-total reliance on imports of lithium and rare earth minerals.
So far, the news agency noted, India’s attempts to create a critical minerals mining industry have faltered. The country awarded development rights in June to a lithium block in Chhattisgarh state but a separate attempt to auction lithium blocks in Jammu and Kashmir found no takers because of low mineral concentration and high extraction costs.
In a July 11 letter, the Ministry of Mines asked the CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) to provide miners with know-how to extract critical minerals.
“The blocks auctioned by the central government contain critical minerals associated with other minerals and/or metals that need tailor-made, case-specific extraction techniques,” it said.
“As most of the critical minerals are not extracted in the country, the economical and successful extraction of these critical and strategic minerals by companies requires support and guidance on extraction and beneficiation techniques.”
A government source told Reuters that similar letters were sent to five other research institutes in India the same day. The government will invite joint proposals from institutes and companies and those approved will get up to 75% of the total funding, said the government source.
Source: Reuters