This Friday, the Mines Secretary Piyush Goyal said that India is confident of building a complete electric vehicle (EV) battery ecosystem within the next two to three years.
Building Full EV Battery Ecosystem In India
While doing so, he outlined a comprehensive strategy covering lithium sourcing, processing, global acquisitions and mining sector reforms.
Moving ahead, Goyal noted, “With the strategy that we have made, we are confident that the whole ecosystem of the EV battery chain will be ready in the next couple of years, or 2-3 years.” said
During an interaction with reporters, Goyal said that lithium remains central to India’s clean energy transition, particularly for EV batteries, where lithium-ion technology dominates.
The country appears to be focusing on securing raw materials globally and strengthening domestic processing considering the fact that the domestic lithium availability is limited, especially brine-based reserves found in South America.
He said, “In spodumene, lithium content is around 1-6%. Spodumene can be imported and further processed. The technology for this is available with our companies today.”
During the media integration, he underlined the gaps in the domestic value chain, saying, “If lithium is brought, there is no conversion plan at scale, so it often gets traded abroad.”
Focus On Processing Critical Minerals Domestically
Goyal stressed on the need for downstream processing into battery-grade materials, further adding that India is nearing completion of a policy focused on processing critical minerals, with two key resources for electric vehicles already identified, Goyal said.
In this regard, the Indian government is considering incentives to encourage firms to establish lithium and nickel processing facilities, aiming to reduce import dependence and strengthen domestic refining capabilities.
Also they are working on securing supplies as the country is exploring mineral assets in South America, Australia and Canada, particularly lithium and rare earth elements.
So far, a consortium of public sector undertakings, including Hindustan Copper Limited, is in the advanced stages of bidding for overseas blocks, including copper assets in Chile.
Goyal said the Indian international collaborations for technology and resource access, “It has to be a win-win arrangement,” as global deals are being evaluated carefully.
In the meantime, efforts are underway to recover critical minerals from industrial waste such as red mud, tailings and fly ash domestically.
Goyal further added, “Gallium and cadmium have recently come into production and work on minerals like tantalum is progressing.“
The private companies remain cautious due to high capital investment and uncertain returns, he noted.
Moving ahead, Goyal highlighted the importance of coastal mineral resources such as monazite in states like Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala for rare earth supply chains.
While talking about the fertilisers, he acknowledged continued dependence on imports, particularly potash, while noting ongoing global engagements to secure supplies.
Going further, Goyal talked about the impact of the West Asia crisis, noting that the government has adopted a “whole-of-government approach” to ensure supply chain stability. “Availability of LPG and critical inputs like explosives is being closely monitored… There has been some impact on prices, but we are working to mitigate it.”
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