India is reportedly investigating vital minerals in Zambia, Congo, and Australia

As the world’s fastest-growing major economy seeks to secure raw materials like lithium, Mines Secretary V.L. Kantha Rao announced on Thursday that India is investigating extraction of vital minerals in Zambia, Congo, and Australia.

Critical minerals in Australia are being explored by companies such as Coal India (COAL.NS), ONGC Videsh (ONVI.NS), and NMDC (NMDC.NS), according to Rao.

The action coincides with India’s efforts to lessen its need on imports of minerals like lithium, which are essential for energy transition technologies.

China is the industry leader in lithium processing technology, which India is currently developing.

According to Rao, who spoke at a press conference, the Zambian government has agreed to grant India 9,000 square kilometers for the exploration of copper and cobalt. India is also considering Tanzania and Congo for the mining of vital minerals.

India has chosen to investigate the lithium reserves in Jammu and Kashmir, according to Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy, and an announcement on this is anticipated by May 2025.

Although the government discovered its first lithium resources in Jammu and Kashmir in February 2023, with estimated reserves of 5.9 million metric tons, no offers were received for the state’s mining rights.

Lithium was one of more than 20 minerals that India designated as “critical” in 2023 for its energy transition initiatives and to satisfy the expanding demands of the infrastructural and industrial sectors.

In January 2025, New Delhi authorized 163 billion rupees ($1.88 billion) to expand the vital minerals industry.