State-owned energy supplier plans to diversify supply chains.
The mining arm of India’s state-owned power company NTPC is looking to develop critical battery raw materials overseas. In particularly, this will involve lithium, nickel and cobalt, Reuters news agency wrote Monday, citing three unnamed sources. The report does not specify the countries with which talks are being held in this regard.
Batteries are important both for e-mobility and as stationary storage for energy generated by wind or solar power. In the coming years, India plans to greatly expand these green technologies in order to advance its energy transition. Now the world’s most populous country, India is one of the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, primarily because it has so far satisfied its hunger for energy mainly through coal-fired power generation. Not until 2070 has India committed itself to achieving climate neutrality. To secure access to the necessary raw materials, agreements have already been signed with countries such as Australia.
As we reported, the Indian government recently published a list of critical minerals for the first time, deemed crucial for economic development and national security. These include nickel, gallium, germanium, lithium, and rare earths. Most of the raw materials mentioned have so far been imported. In the future, however, India’s own mineral resources could play a greater role in the energy transition. For example, deposits of lithium and rare earths are known, but extraction is still in its infancy.
Photo: iStock/Derek Brumby
