India in talks with key partners to secure critical minerals for energy transition

India is in discussions with Brazil, Canada, France and the Netherlands to jointly explore, extract, process and recycle critical minerals, sources told Reuters, as New Delhi steps up efforts to secure key raw materials.

The discussions are focused on lithium and rare earth elements, and also include access to mineral-processing technologies, the sources said. They declined to be identified as the talks are confidential.

India’s move comes as it seeks to reduce heavy dependence on China, which dominates global supplies of several critical minerals and has advanced mining and processing capabilities.

Mining experts said this reliance has highlighted the need for India to diversify sourcing as it accelerates its energy transition to cut emissions.

Mining projects typically take years to move from discovery to production. Exploration alone can last five to seven years and often does not result in a commercially viable mine.

India is aiming to replicate elements of a critical minerals agreement signed with Germany in January, one of the sources said. That agreement covers exploration, processing and recycling, as well as the acquisition and development of mineral assets in both countries and in third countries.

“There are requests and we are talking to France, Netherlands and Brazil while the agreement with Canada is under active consideration,” the source said.

The effort is being led by India’s Ministry of Mines, the sources said.

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney is likely to visit India in early March and sign agreements covering uranium, energy, minerals and artificial intelligence. Asked for comment, Canada’s Natural Resources Department referred to a January statement in which both sides said they had agreed to formalise cooperation on critical minerals in the coming weeks.

Brazil’s embassy in New Delhi, India’s Ministry of Mines and the foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The embassy of the Netherlands did not comment, while the embassy of France declined to comment.

India has been scouting globally for critical minerals and has already signed agreements with Argentina, Australia and Japan. It is also in talks with Peru and Chile on broader bilateral agreements that include critical minerals.

India’s expanding international engagement comes as finance ministers from the G7 and other major economies met in Washington last month to discuss ways to reduce dependence on rare earth supplies from China.

In 2023, India identified more than 20 minerals, including lithium, as “critical” to its energy transition and to meet rising demand from industry and the infrastructure sector.

(With inputs from Reuters)