India seeks overseas help for lithium processing to avoid relying on China
lithium processing, said four sources familiar with the matter, to bolster its nascent lithium mining and electric vehicle industries and avoid relying on China.
India's Ministry of Mines began discussions with Australia and the United States last year, said the four sources, two from India's government and two industry participants. The Indian government and some private companies have also sought help from Bolivia, Britain, Japan, and South Korea, said the sources, who did not wish to be identified as the discussions were not public.
Executives from Russia's TENEX, part of state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom, approached the Indian government and have held at least two meetings with Indian officials this year, offering lithium processing technology and the possibility of collaborating with Indian companies, said one of the sources, a senior government official with direct knowledge of the plans.
The discussions illustrate efforts by India, the world's third-largest carbon emitter and oil importer, to develop a lithium mining industry that could provide the chemical feedstocks for batteries for its domestic electric vehicle (EV) industry which could help cut its greenhouse gas emissions and oil dependence.
«India needs technology to process lithium and we are looking to collaborate with other countries which have some experience,» said the senior government official. «We are aiming to be self-reliant and one of the ways is through partnerships.»
TENEX, Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade and India's
