India in talks over critical minerals deals with Brazil, Canada and more
The focus is on lithium and rare earths, with the country also seeking access to mineral-processing technologies, sources say
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[NEW DELHI] India is in talks with Brazil, Canada, France and the Netherlands over deals to jointly explore, extract, process and recycle critical minerals, sources said, as it broadens its global outreach to secure supplies of key raw materials.
The focus would be on lithium and rare earths, with India also seeking access to mineral-processing technologies, the sources said, declining to be identified because the discussions are confidential.
Heavy reliance on archrival China, which dominates global supplies of many minerals and has advanced mining and processing technology, underscores the need for the South Asian nation to reach out to a range of countries as it accelerates its energy transition to cut emissions, mining experts said.
However, from discovery to production, mining can take years, as exploration alone runs five to seven years and often ends without a viable mine.
India aims to replicate elements of a critical minerals agreement it signed with Germany in January, which covers exploration, processing and recycling, as well as the acquisition and development of mineral assets in both countries and in third countries, a source said.
“There are requests, and we are talking to France, Netherlands and Brazil while the agreement with Canada is under active consideration,” they added.
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India’s Ministry of Mines is leading the effort, the sources mentioned.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney is likely to visit India in early March and sign deals on uranium, energy, minerals and artificial intelligence.
When asked for a comment, Canada’s Natural Resources Department referred to a January statement that said both sides had agreed to formalise cooperation on critical minerals in the coming weeks.
Brazil’s embassy in New Delhi, the Ministry of Mines and the foreign ministry did not respond to Reuters’ 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 signed pacts with Argentina, Australia and Japan.
It has also been in talks with Peru and Chile on broader bilateral agreements that cover critical minerals.
India’s expanding international engagement comes after finance ministers from the G7 and other major economies met in Washington in January to discuss ways to cut dependence on rare earths from China.
In 2023, India identified more than 20 minerals, including lithium, as “critical” for its energy transition and to meet rising demand from industries and the infrastructure sector. REUTERS
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