Critical Minerals: First Six Blocks Awarded

Sub: Geography

Sec: External Sector

Key Points:

New Auction Tranche:
- Union Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy introduced a fresh tranche of auctions for 21 blocks of critical and strategic minerals.
First Six Blocks Awarded:
- Winners announced for six blocks from the first auction held last November.
- Mining activity in these blocks will focus on phosphorite, lithium, graphite, and manganese.
- Locations: Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.
Offshore Mineral Auctions:
- Auction process for offshore minerals to start within the first 100 days in office.
- Initial auction will include 10 offshore blocks that have been identified.
Government’s Commitment:
- Mines Secretary emphasized that the awarded mines will begin production at the earliest possible.
- Aim to achieve self-sufficiency in the import-dependent sector.

Highlights:

Introduction of fresh auction for 21 critical and strategic mineral blocks.
First six blocks awarded targeting key minerals like phosphorite, lithium, graphite, and manganese.
Upcoming offshore mineral auctions to commence with 10 identified blocks.
Government’s focus on quick production and self-sufficiency in critical minerals.

Key Facts about Critical Minerals:

Essential for Modern Technologies and Economies: Critical minerals are vital for the functioning of modern technologies, economies, or national security.
Supply Chain Risk: There is a risk that the supply chains of these minerals could be disrupted.

Dynamic Criticality:

The ‘criticality’ of minerals changes over time as supply and societal needs shift.

Applications:

Advanced Technologies: Used in mobile phones, computers, fiber-optic cables, semiconductors, banknotes, defense, aerospace, and medical applications.
Low-Emission Technologies: Essential for electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels, and rechargeable batteries.
Common Products: Crucial for products like stainless steel and electronics.

Examples of Critical Minerals:

Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Lithium, Vanadium, etc.

Critical Minerals in India:

List of 30 Critical Minerals: Includes Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Graphite, Hafnium, Indium, Lithium, Molybdenum, Niobium, Nickel, PGE, Phosphorous, Potash, REE, Rhenium, Silicon, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium, Zirconium, Selenium, and Cadmium.

Rare Earth Elements (REE):

Seventeen Elements: REE are a set of seventeen elements in the periodic table, including the fifteen lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium.
Metals: REE are all metals, often referred to as the “rare earth metals.”

Abundance and Mining:

Relatively Abundant: Despite being called “rare,” they are relatively abundant in the Earth’s crust.
Mining Difficulty: They are difficult to mine due to their typically low concentrations in geologic deposits.

Properties and Sale:

Similar Properties: Many similar properties cause them to be found together in geologic deposits.
Oxide Compounds: Often sold as oxide compounds, hence also referred to as “rare earth oxides.”