Metals & Minerals

China starts issuing licenses to import rare earth magnets into India

China has begun clearing export licences for rare earth magnets to India, easing supply disruptions for automakers and EV makers after months of delays caused by trade curbs

Parl panel suggests funding boost for IREL to prioritise rare earth mining

Amid the rising global demand for rare earth elements, a parliamentary panel has urged the government to bolster IREL (India) with focused budgetary support to prioritise exploration and mining of the critical mineral. IREL (India), a central public sector enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is the only company in India that is engaged in the mining of rare earth ores and refining them into rare earth oxides. The Standing Committee on Coal, Mines, and Steel, in its latest report, also asked the government to formulate strategies for their domestic availability, identification, exploration, and economic viability, aiming to bring down the country's heavy import dependence. Rare earth minerals broadly are a group of metallic elements that are difficult and expensive to extract and process because they are rarely found in high concentrations. They play a critical role in clean energy applications like wind energy turbines, hybrid car batteries, electric motors, sol

Parl panel flags delays, seeks clearances for critical mineral projects

A Parliamentary Panel has flagged delays between mine auctions and operationalisation and has urged the government to explore setting up an inter-ministerial committee to monitor the post-auction progress for mineral and critical mineral projects. The panel also stressed that critical mineral projects should be given priority in necessary statutory clearances. "Although policy initiatives and simplification of exploration norms for auction of mineral blocks are in place, the Committee feels that the lengthy process of regulatory clearances, inadequate exploration, forest clearance requirement even at the exploration stage, considerable time lag between auction of mines and their operationalisation, etc., needs to be looked into," it said. The observations were made by the Standing Committee on Coal, Mines and Steel in its latest report titled "Self-Reliance in Minerals and Metals". "In view of these persistent challenges, the committee desires to explore the possibility of setting

Hind Zinc, Hind Copper rally up to 8%, record 52-week highs; here's why

Among other metal shares, GMDC soared 7 per cent, while NALCO gained 4 per cent and was seen trading near its life-time in trades on Friday.

G20 backs critical minerals plan to boost inclusive growth, resilience

The framework seeks to ensure that mineral-producing countries, particularly in the Global South, derive maximum benefit from their resources, moving beyond mere raw material exports

UK unveils critical minerals strategy to cut reliance on foreign supply

Backed by up to 50 million pounds in new funding, the strategy seeks to ensure no more than 60 per cent of the UK's supply of any one critical mineral comes from a single country by 2035

Trump hosts Central Asian leaders to counter China's rare earth dominance

US President Donald Trump hosted leaders of five Central Asian countries at the White House on Thursday as he intensifies his hunt for rare earth metals needed for high-tech devices, including smartphones, electric vehicles and fighter jets. Trump and the officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan held bilateral meetings in the Oval Office before having a working dinner. These nations were once home to the ancient Silk Road connecting East and West, Trump said, while noting that sadly, previous American presidents neglected this region completely". He added, I understand the importance of this region but a lot of people don't know that. The White House visits followed Trump managing at least a temporary thaw with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on differences between the United States and China over the export of rare earth elements, a key point of friction in their trade negotiations. Early last month, Beijing expanded export restrictions over vital

Vedanta's consolidated net profit plunges 59% to ₹1,798 crore in Q2FY26

The exceptional loss included a write off of ₹1,407 crore in Talwandi Sabo Power (TSPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Vedanta, in pursuant to a Supreme Court order dated in August 19

Vedanta Q2 profit falls 38% on exceptional item, revenue rises 6%

Despite the drop in profit, Vedanta's total income rose to ₹40,464 crore from ₹38,934 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal

India's copper demand rose by 9.3% to 1,878 kilo tonnes in FY25: Report

India's copper demand grew by 9.3 per cent to 1,878 kilo tonnes (KT) in FY25 due to robust economic progress and increasing adoption of the metal across critical sectors, a report released on Wednesday said. The International Copper Association India (ICA India) released its copper demand report for FY2025. The country's copper demand was 1,718 kilo tonne in FY24. India's continued emphasis on large-scale infrastructure projects, building construction, clean energy transition and emerging technologies has accelerated demand for key industrial materials, with copper emerging as a critical enabler across these sectors, the report said. The building construction and infrastructure segments remained primary growth drivers registering 11 per cent and 17 per cent year-on-year growth respectively. The renewable energy sector achieved one of the highest annual capacity additions in FY2025, while the consumer durables sector saw a 19 per cent increase, driven by strong sales of air ...

Govt working on steps to improve supply of rare earth minerals: Goyal

The government is working on measures to improve supply of rare earth minerals, including negotiating trade pacts with Chile and Peru, promoting domestic exploration, and engaging startups in recycling and processing, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday. Critical or rare earth minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, and cobalt are essential raw materials which have applications in various industries ranging from electronic goods to fighter jets. These minerals also fuel the growth of rapidly growing clean energy technologies, including electric vehicles and battery manufacturing. Countries like Chile, Peru and Australia have reserves of these minerals. India already has implemented a trade pact with Australia and is negotiating with South American nations Chile and Peru. The Indian team is visiting the two South American countries for the next round of trade talks. "Look at Chile and Peru, think about it. Why am I doing FTA with them in the first place? It

China restricts rare earth exports, threatening US semiconductor, AI growth

China accounts for 90% of all rare earth elements processing, a figure that rises to 99% for heavy rare earth processing

Sona Comstar MD Singh flags magnet quality issues under PLI scheme

During the meeting, Singh raised concerns about the quality of magnets that will be produced in India under the scheme

India needs to be self-reliant in rare earth element production: Prez Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu said on Friday that India should achieve self-reliance in production of rare earth elements, given the current geopolitical situation. This would help India achieve its target of becoming a developed nation and play an important role in ensuring the security of the country, Murmu said while speaking at the National Geoscience Awards 2024 here. "Seeing the current geopolitical situation it is very important that India becomes self-reliant in production of rare earth elements," she said. These elements are not rare because their availability is scarce but the process to identify these elements is very complicated, she said, adding that the development of indigenous technique will help complete this complicated process. President Murmu said this is the age of artificial intelligence, semiconductior, and clean energy technology. Rare earth elements are essential in smartphones, electric vehicles (EVs), and renewable energy technologies. Rare Earth Elements (R

Singapore seeks African carbon credits as rivals chase critical minerals

The Southeast Asian city-state aims to increasingly tap African countries for carbon credits as part of a drive to boost trade with the continent and meet its own net zero ambitions

Centre to incentivise domestic production of rare earths: Kumaraswamy

The government is preparing fiscal incentives to encourage domestic production of rare earth magnets in the face of recent disruptions caused in their supply, currently dominated by China, Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy said on Friday. The minister for Heavy Industries and Steel also said a scheme is in the works to provide "targeted support" to the industry for its capital as well as operational expenditure, which would help bridge cost gaps, offer relief from high tariffs on key equipment and ensure continuity of supply in the face of rising global restrictions. "The ministry is actively addressing vulnerabilities in critical raw materials. Recognising that rare earth magnets are central to EV motors and currently dominated by Chinese supply, we are preparing fiscal incentives to encourage domestic production. "We are working on a scheme aimed at powering India's participation in global value chains through targeted support for both capital expenditure and operational expenditure

Ashapura Minechem hits new high; stock zooms 101% from March low

In the past two weeks, the stock price of this smallcap industrial products company has rallied 26 per cent.

Critical mineral blocks auction: A snapshot of the progress so far

Since the launch of auctions for critical minerals in 2023, the government has offered 81 blocks across five tranches

Centre to set up mineral trading exchange, says Union Minister Kishan Reddy

Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday said the Centre would set up a mineral trading exchange similar to the London Metal Exchange. In a media interaction here, he said the mineral exchange would be established as per the norms of SEBI. "Like the London Metal Exchange, we are going to set up a mineral exchange in India," he said. The proposed mineral exchange is expected to facilitate better price discovery for industries, traders and other stakeholders. Mineral exchange was made part of recently-passed legislation and the guidelines concerned would be issued soon, he said. Asked if the US tariffs would have any impact on the domestic coal industry, he said it would not be much. He further said the country exports aluminium to America in a small measure. Reddy said the government had reduced coal imports substantially, saving foreign exchange to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore. The steel-makers in the country have boilers built for using good quality imported coa

Govt targets critical minerals security through mining law changes

The proposal, aimed at securing long-term access to resources like lithium, copper, cobalt, and rare earth elements, comes amid tightening global supply and rising geopolitical risks