Page 2 - Metals & Minerals

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

Only nominated firms to mine offshore uranium, thorium under new norms

The new rules notified under the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002, are aimed at unlocking India's offshore atomic mineral potential

NLC India exploring possibilities to source rare earth from overseas: CMD

State-owned NLC India Ltd is exploring possibilities to source rare earth element from overseas and the company has also begun preliminary talks for lithium blocks in Mali, West Africa and for copper and cobalt mines in the Republic of the Congo, its CMD Prasanna Kumar Motupalli said. The remarks came amid China's recent curbs on exports of rare earth elements, impacting the global supply chain of the critical mineral which has diverse usage ranging from the manufacturing of home appliances to electric vehicles. In an interview to PTI, Motupalli said that both mines and coal ministries have very clearly communicated to the Navratna firm to "aggressively" explore and mine both critical mineral blocks and rare earth elements. "We are in touch with the Ministry of Mines and Ministry of Coal, and based on the advice from them we have started taking initial steps of some of the mines abroad. So as on date we are studying some lithium mines in Mali and copper and cobalt mines in the ...

Quartz exports decline 34% in FY25 as China slashes import volumes

After three years of steady growth, India's quartz exports slipped to 916 kt in FY25 due to a sharp drop in demand from China, which had been the top buyer in FY24

China built a rare earth empire-India is still stuck in the mines

Despite hosting the world's third largest known reserves of rare earths, these critical minerals will remain a critical challenge for India

Tech hegemony: Now, China's rare-earth experts face travel restrictions

This move by China means Indian auto companies will be left with only one option - to import the full motors powered by the magnets - which will only increase the cost of the vehicle

Quad launches critical minerals initiative to counter China's dominance

The Quad grouping has launched an ambitious initiative to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals under a broader goal to strengthen economic security amid concerns over China's coercive tactics, including price manipulation and restrictions on the export of the vital resources. The decision on rolling out the "Quad Critical Minerals Initiative" was announced after a meeting of foreign ministers of the member nations of the grouping in the US capital on Tuesday. Critical minerals such as lithium, nickel and graphite are considered vital for high-end technology products, including electric vehicles (EVs), drones, and battery storage. China has been a dominant player in the critical minerals supply chain globally. The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya. In a joint statement, the Quad foreign ministers expressed "deep concern" over the

India sends geologists to Zambia to explore copper, cobalt deposits

The exploration project will last for three years and most of the analysis will be done in laboratories in India

Brics to take up rare earth export curb issue at leaders summit in July

China controls around 70 per cent of global rare earth elements (REE) mining output and accounts for about 90 per cent of the world's processing and refining of rare earth elements

Rare earth curbs to affect ICE vehicles as well: Automobile industry

China accounts for about 70 per cent of global rare earth mining and nearly 90 per cent of rare earth magnet production, giving it overwhelming leverage in this segment

Indian auto delegation yet to leave for China for rare earth magnets talks

Indian Auto industry representatives are yet to leave for China to expedite the import of rare earth magnets as the delegation is still awaiting a formal go-ahead from the Chinese commerce ministry for a meeting, as per industry sources. Around 40-50 industry executives have received visas last month, but are still awaiting a formal nod from the Chinese authorities for the meetings on the matter. Staring at shortages, the domestic automobile industry has also sought government support in expediting approvals from China to import rare earth magnets. "They (Chinese authorities) have not given any appointment so far, so the delegation is yet to leave. Situation is bad as not even a single license has been issued to us so far," a source told PTI. If the situation remains like this, the domestic automobile industry will be staring at shortages resulting in significant production losses, the source added. The domestic auto industry is forced to take steps as the Chinese government has p

Mercedes-Benz India unfazed by China rare-earth magnets supply curbs

Company is 'comfortably placed' this year in sourcing critical supply, says automaker

Govt, industry working to address rare earth magnet issues: Meity official

The government, industry and academia are working to resolve the issues concerning rare earth magnets, which are used in the automobile sector and other devices, a senior Meity official said on Friday. The technology exists to make rare earth magnets but to produce them at a commercially competitive rate is a challenge, Ministry of Electronics and IT, Additional Secretary, Amitesh Sinha said. Speaking on the sidelines of the Tec-Verse event showcasing PSU technology research, Sinha said that to solve the issues concerning rare earth, all three partners - government, industry and academia - are doing their work. "Technology is there, but we have to see how commercially we can do it at a competitive price. So that is the main challenge. The government will surely work because these things are now becoming strategic and important," Sinha said. The Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (C-MET), a research unit under Meity, at the event signed a transfer of technology agreemen

Tata Motors has 'comfortable' stocks, supplies of rare-earth magnets

Company open to hybrids if market demands but thinks it is not a destination tech

Tata Motors says no 'panic button' pressed yet on rare-earth magnet curbs

Tata Motors says production remains unaffected by China's rare-earth export curbs; JLR to raise prices to manage US tariffs as alternate sources and technologies are explored

Rare earth magnet crisis may be too good to waste for India's EV ambitions

China's near monopoly on rare earths has rattled Indian automakers, triggering a diplomatic push and renewed urgency for local processing capacity

US-China trade truce likely leaves military-use rare earth issue unresolved

Beijing has not committed to grant export clearance for some specialised rare-earth magnets that US military suppliers need for fighter jets and missile systems

Rare earth materials on the table as India, China agree to discuss trade

India and China agree to hold functional dialogues on trade, rare earth supply, direct flights and visa facilitation during Vice Foreign Minister Sun's visit to Delhi

India wants to leverage Japan ties for magnets, revisiting rare-earth deal

India is considering a short-term revamp of its rare earth agreement with Japan to secure magnet supply as China disruptions highlight gaps in domestic sourcing