India’s clean energy push hinges on critical mineral sourcing and processing.
New paper urges tech-first, sustainable mining and resilient supply chains.
Dependence on imports from China raises urgency for domestic mineral strategies.
Public sector units must lead just transition with reformed, flexible mandates.
India currently stands at a critical juncture in terms of its clean energy journey with focus on the right choices on mineral sourcing and processing, which could essentially unlock not just energy security but economic transformation.
Addressing the Outlook Sustainable Mining Forum, Vivek Chandran, Co-founder, Solutions for Sustainable Living presented a new discussion paper aiming to catalyze dialogue and action on how India can manage its growing dependence on critical minerals, responsibly and competitively.
At the start of his address, Chandran said, “The paper is not a technical one, but more of an idea of a provocation.” He further said that the paper aims to ask the right question, challenge the status quo and fuel a conversation on whether or not this will India’s moment to be able to drive a change.
The paper is essentially built around four key pillars - advancing a sustainable development framework, driving competitiveness through technology and innovation, de-risking critical minerals supply chains and empowering public sector leadership for a just and green transition
Chandran further highlighted how India’s clean energy future – which is represented by the solar rooftops in rural Madhya Pradesh and the latest electric cars will hinge on how the country approaches mining, processing, and securing critical minerals.
While referring to India’s Sustainable Development Framework (SDF), Chandran emphasized that there is a need to move from compliance towards real value creation. In connection to the same, he asked, "Do we have the tools to give communities a voice and to reward companies that go beyond the bare minimum?”
"That’s the conversation we need to have today," he added.
Highlighting the second part of the discussion paper, Chandran said that even though mining has been long viewed as ‘dusty and dirty’ industry, it must embrace innovation. He said, “From electrified vehicles to AI-driven mineral processing, the paper advocates a tech-first approach to mining, recycling, and exploration.”
Currently, India is dependent on imports for nearly 100% of the critical minerals – many of which are sourced from geopolitically tense regions like China. Such a situation makes supply chain security urgent. Thereby, he points out, the paper suggests strategies such as demand aggregation, domestic off-take commitments, international partnerships, and investing in local processing capacity. He said, “It’s about enabling investment and that’s one of the essential parts of the conversation we want to have.”
Additionally, talking about India’s public sector units (PSUs), which hold licenses, land, and local trust, he says that they must lead the transition. However, Chandran noted that these entities are often met by constraints due to legacy mandates and rigid audit systems. Thereby, he mentioned that we must rethink mandates, enable public-private partnerships and allow flexibility to drive regional just transitions.
Further concluding the address, he acknowledged that even though the paper does not have all the answers, it does ensure to ask the right questions. He said,” If we get this right, we don't just extract more minerals. We build trust. We align with the planet and with its people. And most importantly, we attract investment.”
