Centre may permit private miners to extract lithium

29 Jul 2022 CW Team

The Government is seeking to modify the law in order to permit private miners to extract lithium, a crucial component of batteries used in electric vehicles and energy storage, as the country strives to become more self-sufficient in green technologies.

The Narendra Modi government aims to change the laws during the current session of parliament, according to a Bloomberg report. Eight minerals will be removed from the restricted list that presently forbids production by private enterprises, including lithium, beryllium, and zirconium. This would enable the government to auction licences to explore lithium reserves.

The country also seeks to expand domestic production of a variety of zero-emission technologies in order to meet its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2070 and to benefit from opportunities presented by the world's transition to cleaner energy. According to the Mines Ministry, government organisations have been searching for lithium and have found a modest supply at a location in Karnataka. However, India would still need to identify and develop more deposits if it wants to produce lithium on any significant scale and lessen its reliance on imports.

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