Resource Reality

Mapping India's Critical Mineral Needs for Clean Energy Success

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With India's ambitious eye on Net-Zero 2070, the demand for clean energy is seeing a surge. The newer technologies based on renewable energy has put stress on the demand for critical minerals like copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, among others. In this article, Animesh Ghosh and Soumit Pandey estimate India's critical mineral demands in the years to come.

The global transition towards renewable energy has significantly increased the demand for critical minerals (CM), like copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite1, and rare earth elements. These minerals are essential for manufacturing materials of clean energy (CE) technologies, including solar panels, wind turbines, battery energy storage systems, and electric vehicles23. As the adoption of these technologies accelerates, the demand for CM is projected to rise substantially in the coming decades, raising concerns about supply and sustainability45. As a fast-developing economy, India is actively participating in this energy transition but has increasingly relied on imports to meet the demand for these essential materials67. Despite India's ample domestic resources, low and ineffective domestic production has hindered the establishment of a self-reliant supply chain, making imports indispensable. This dependency exposes India to significant geopolitical risks, including supply disruptions and price volatility arising from global competition and monopolistic control by mineral-rich nations8. As the global energy transition accelerates, these risks will likely intensify, further threatening India's CE aspirations and necessitating a robust and strategic approach to critical mineral management.