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Mahesh

07/12/23 07:21 AM IST

Mining for critical minerals

In News
  • Twenty blocks of critical minerals are currently on auction for commercial mining by the private sector.
  • The mineral blocks contain lithium ore, which has use in batteries and electric vehicles, and another 10 of the 30 minerals that the government declared as “critical” in July.
Minerals Auction
  • This is the first time that rights related to the mining of lithium ore are being auctioned to private parties. Other minerals in the blocks include nickel, copper, molybdenum, and rare earth elements (REEs).
  • All these minerals are utilised in key supply chains for vehicle batteries, energy storage devices, consumer electronics, and vital industrial processes.
  • The Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) floated by the Ministry of Mines says the 20 blocks are spread over eight states.
  • There are seven blocks in Tamil Nadu, four in Odisha, three in Bihar, two in Uttar Pradesh, and one each in Gujarat, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Jammu & Kashmir.
  • Only four of these 20 blocks are being auctioned for a Mining Licence (ML), which means that once the licence is granted, the licensee can begin mining operations after obtaining the requisite clearances.
Estimated minerals in the block
  • The two blocks of lithium reserves, one each in J&K and Chhattisgarh, are up for auction for a CL.
  • According to the NIT, the J&K block has an inferred reserve of a 5.9 million tonne (mt) of bauxite column, which contains more than 3,400 tonnes of lithium metal content. This block also contains more than 70,000 tonnes of titanium metal content.
  • The block in Chhattisgarh contains lithium and REEs, but no drilling has been conducted yet to estimate total reserves.
  • Nickel ore reserves have been found in three blocks, one each in Bihar, Gujarat, and Odisha. While no drilling has been conducted for the blocks in Bihar and Gujarat, in the Odisha block, the NIT states an inferred value of 2.05 mt of nickel ore, which amounts to 3,908 tonnes of nickel metal content.
  • This Odisha block is being auctioned for an ML. It is also the only block among the 20 that contains deposits of copper — amounting to 6.09 mt of copper ore and 28,884 tonnes of copper metal content.
Import of minerals
  • India imported 2,145 tonnes of lithium carbonate and lithium oxide at a total cost of Rs 732 crore. Lithium carbonate contains up to 19 per cent lithium. Lithium oxide, which is usually converted to lithium hydroxide, contains 29 per cent lithium.
  • India also imported 32,000 tonnes of unwrought nickel at a cost of Rs 6,549 crore, and 1.2 million tonnes of copper ore at a cost of Rs 27,374 crore, in 2022-23.
  • India is 100 per cent reliant on imports for its lithium and nickel demand. For copper, this figure is 93 per cent.
Source- Indian Express

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