Page 4 - Mineral Sector

Coal India, Hindustan Copper to work together in critical mineral sector

State-owned CIL on Tuesday said it has signed an MoU with Hindustan Copper to work together in the critical mineral sector. The two companies executed the non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday to collaborate across various aspects in the copper and critical minerals sectors, CIL said in a BSE filing. Earlier, CIL and IREL (India) Ltd had signed a non-binding MoU to cooperate and collaborate on the development of critical minerals. The MoU aims to promote the development of mutually agreed assets of critical minerals, including mineral sands and rare earth elements. CIL accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic coal production. Critical minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth are essential raw materials required to fuel the growth of rapidly-growing clean energy technologies and their expanding uses ranging from wind turbines and electricity networks to electric vehicles and battery manufacturing.

HCL to bid for critical mineral blocks with IOCL, GAIL, RITES: Official

Hindustan Copper Ltd , a Miniratna CPSE under the Ministry of Mines, plans to bid for critical minerals and rare earth element blocks along with other PSU's like Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), GAIL (India) and RITES as part of its diversification strategy, a top official said. The copper company will soon enter into non-binding agreement with IOCL and GAIL (India) Ltd for this purpose. "Hindustan Copper (HCL) will participate in the auctions which will be coming up not only for copper blocks but also for blocks pertaining to critical minerals and rare earth minerals. "For example, if there is a critical mineral block or REE put up for auction by the Ministry of Mines & State Government, we will evaluate them and then HCL plans to tie up with PSUs on case to case basis to bid for those blocks, "Sanjiv Kumar Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, HCL told PTI in an interview. The company also plans to enter into pact with Coal India Ltd (CIL) for taking part in activities ...

China's rare earth exports hit five-year low as magnet sales curbs

Export controls launched on April 4 covered not just seven individual rare earths, but also magnets that contain even tiny amounts of them

Hindustan Zinc to invest ₹12,000 crore to double refined metal capacity

Board approves expansion of metal and silver capacity to over 2,000 KTPA and 1,500 tonnes respectively, with new smelter and mines to be built over the next 36 months

Build good external relations for steady supplies of critical materials

Serious doubts have now emerged in many countries regarding dependence on other countries for critical materials because it is not easy to develop alternate sources of supplies quickly

What's behind 40% surge in GMDC stock price in past one month?

Shares of GMDC moved higher by 8 per cent to hit an over 10-month high of ₹414 on the BSE in Friday's intra-day trade amid heavy volumes.

Auto equipment manufacturers make 2-pronged plans for rare earth crunch

Firms weigh importing motors or sending parts to China to keep assembly lines running

Suzuki halts Swift production in Japan as China curbs rare earth exports

Swift production halt: Global auto supply chains are feeling the heat as China tightens rare earth mineral exports, disrupting production at Suzuki, Ford, BMW, and others

Coal India resumes discussions with Chile to acquire lithium blocks

These talks had previously been halted because the Chilean government required CIL to have prior experience in mineral mining

Seven rare earth minerals that China is weaponising in trade war with US

In response to punitive tariffs imposed by Washington, Beijing earlier this month added seven rare earths to its export control list

Donald Trump launches critical minerals probe to weigh new tariffs

The order, which Trump signed on Tuesday, calls for the commerce secretary to initiate a Section 232 investigation under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962

'Rare earth limits are concerning', says White House as China halts exports

The US raises alarm as China halts rare earth exports; key tech, defence industries face risk amid deepening trade war and supply chain uncertainty

Parl panel expresses concern over diversion of DMF's fund in several states

A parliamentary panel has expressed concerns over several cases of diversion of funds of District Mineral Foundation (DMF) in several states for purposes other than welfare of mining-affected areas. The DMF is a non-profit statutory 'fund' for every Indian district affected by mining related operations. It is aligned with the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY), to ensure effective and equitable utilisation of these funds to address the challenges of communities inhabiting the mining regions and for their sustainable development. The panel is "concerned to note that there are many cases of diversion of the funds of DMFs or purposes other than the stipulated ones, in many States as informed by the Ministry of Mines. Such diversions, the Committee notes, took place in the form of transfers to State treasury/consolidated fund of the State or State level funds (by whatever name called) or Chief Minister's Relief Fund or other funds or schemes", said the Standing Committe

Odisha govt lost Rs 864.45 crore mineral revenue during 2015-22: CAG report

The Odisha government has "lost revenue of Rs 864.45 crore" from minor mineral sources during the financial years 2015-16 to 2021-22, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) said in its latest report. In its audit report on collection of revenue from minor minerals, the CAG said the government failed to collect Rs 864.45 crore towards the District Mineral Fund (DMF) and Environment Management Fund (EMF) on royalty from minor minerals supplied by contractors and used in public projects without valid transit passes amounting to Rs 4,624.58 crore. The authorities in charge of public projects deducted royalty amounting to Rs 4,624.58 crore from the bills of contractors or project executants due to non-production of valid transit passes and purchase receipts in support of procurement from authorised sources. A total of Rs 885.70 crore towards DMF and EMF on royalty was to be realised in the state, during 2016-22. However, the authorities in charge of public projects in 14 ...

India a major geopolitical power, want strategic ties with it: Dutch FM

India and the Netherlands are looking at firming up an ambitious agreement this year to facilitate cooperation in high technology areas such as semiconductors, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said on Tuesday. In a media interaction, Veldkamp said the Netherlands is also eyeing to firm up a strategic partnership with India as it is emerging as a major geopolitical power in the Indo-Pacific. "We want to conclude a strategic partnership with India," he said. Veldkamp is on a two-day visit to India. The Dutch foreign minister, answering a question on US President Donald Trump's tariff policy, said India and the European Union should work closely in dealing with challenges in the economic front. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with Veldkamp on Monday, focusing on bilateral cooperation in areas of trade and investments, defence and security, innovation, and people-to-people ties. They also noted the vast potential of cooperation between India and t

Expect to sign critical minerals deal with Ukraine soon, says Trump

Trump also told reporters as he met his Cabinet that the United States is talking to Ukraine about the potential for American firms owning Ukrainian power plants

Govt launches critical minerals exploration licence auction for 13 blocks

Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy on Thursday launched nation's first-ever auction of Exploration Licences (ELs) for 13 exploration blocks for critical minerals. Reddy launched the ELs in the presence of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in Dona Paula near here, a major reform aimed to unlock India's untapped critical and deep-seated mineral resources. The licenses are for the exploration blocks for minerals like REE (rare earth elements), zinc, diamond, copper, PGE (platinum group minerals) and others. The programme also featured a roadshow on the 5th Tranche of Critical Mineral Blocks and the launch of AI Hackathon 2025, a Mineral Exploration Hackathon focused on Mineral Targeting using AI (Artificial Intelligence). Addressing the gathering, Union minister Reddy said that in the last 10 years, India's mining sector has achieved many milestones and emerged as one of the fastest and most dynamic sectors of the country. Today marks another milestone in the industry, he ..

Govt to auction mineral exploration licences for 13 blocks on March 13

With the enactment of the MMDR Amendment Act, 2023, exploration licences were introduced to allow private participation in reconnaissance and prospecting for 29 critical and deep-seated minerals

Critical minerals recovery from waste needs multipronged strategy: Report

Recovery of critical minerals from processing waste requires a multipronged strategy with policy reforms in India, according to a report. Technological development, capacity building and supply chain integration are also needed for the recovery of these minerals from waste, according to a recent Ficci-Deloitte report. Critical minerals are important for the growth of clean energy technologies, electric vehicles and battery manufacturing. The demand for these minerals is increasing as the world transitions to clean energy. Critical minerals are also used in defence, such as in the production of aircraft, missiles, tanks, and corvettes, according to the report. The country, it said, is steadily gearing its critical mineral resource security. However, challenges, such as low exploration levels, long gestation periods for mine operations, and bottlenecks in processing, highlight the need to look for alternative sources of critical minerals, with mine processing waste offering a promisi

Russia welcomes possibilities of cooperation with US on rare earth metals

Putin told state TV on Monday that Russia was open to joint projects with American partners - including government and the private sector - under a future Russia-US economic deal