India’s sole rare-earths producer wants to boost its mining capacity by 400 per cent in the coming decade to help the country lock in supplies of key minerals for its clean-energy transition.
State-owned IREL (India) Ltd. aims to mine 50 million tons a year of rare-earths bearing ore by end-2032, up from 10 million tons now, Chairman D. Singh said in an interview. That would it allow it to produce 13,000 tons annually of refined rare earths, versus 5,000 tons at present.
Like other major economies, India is grappling with how to secure supplies of materials like rare earths and lithium that will be needed in bigger quantities in the shift away from fossil fuels.
