Lithium: A welcome energy lodestone

The substantial lithium resource – 5.9 million tonnes of it – found in Jammu and Kashmir is good news for India‘s clean energy transition. Determining the size of the usable reserve, developing the mine and producing the lithium will take time. As it works on the J&K find, GoI must develop a critical minerals strategic plan that assesses needs, secures supplies, develops technologies for efficient extraction and recovery from secondary sources. It must invest in innovation, R&D of alternative energy storage solutions, substitute materials and designing high resource-efficient products. The requisite policy frameworks, incentives and leveraging public funds for investments must be put in place.

The J&K resource is the second find. In 2021, preliminary surveys on surface and limited sub-surface by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research identified about 1,600 tonnes of lithium resources in Karnataka. In 2021-22, the Geological Survey of India took up five projects on lithium and associated minerals in Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, J&K and Rajasthan. Critical minerals crucial for clean energy, automation and digitalisation are concentrated in few regions, and their processing in fewer still. Policy and institutional frameworks, and mechanisms for improved surveying are crucial. A robust set of environmental safeguards for mining is needed. Securing supplies for energy security is critical. Besides partnerships and agreements, a system of recovery from secondary sources through recycling is necessary.

Finding lithium should not foreclose other options. India must develop alternative energy storage options. This is crucial for energy security and an equitable clean energy transition.