The Union Government on Monday admitted that the second auction for Jammu and Kashmir’s lithium blocks has been annulled due to the non-receipt of bids for its extraction.
Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of Coal and Mines, G Kishan Reddy said that the Salal-Haimna Lithium, Titanium, and Bauxite (Aluminous Laterite) block in Jammu and Kashmir has been explored up to the G3 level.
As the Shiv Sena member Sanjay Rout asked whether the second auction for Jammu and Kashmir’s lithium blocks failed to attract any bids, the Minister admitted that the second attempt of the auction of the block has been annulled due to non-receipt of bids.
“Mineral samples collected by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) from the block have been sent to IBM, Nagpur, and IMMT, Bhubaneshwar, for conducting beneficiation studies,” the Minister said.
“Apart from the already explored Salal-Haimna block, two more preliminary exploration (G3 stage) projects on lithium in the Salal East and Panasa areas of Reasi district have been taken up by GSI in 2024-25,” he said.
He further said that the auction of Lithium blocks in J&K is dependent on the reports of ongoing exploration investigations.
“The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 has been amended by the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023 with effect from 17.08.2023”, the Minister said, adding, “The Amendment Act, inter alia, inserted section 11D in the Act which empowers the Central Government to exclusively auction mining leases and composite licenses in respect of ‘critical and strategic minerals’ specified in Part D of the First Schedule of the Act which includes Lithium also.”
5.9 million tonnes of Lithium reserves found in J&K’s Reasi district
Lithium reserves were found for the first time in the country, and that too in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory.
“This is for the first time that Lithium reserves have been discovered in the country and that too in Jammu and Kashmir,” informed Union Mines Secretary, Vivek Bharadwaj while speaking at the 62nd Central Geological Programming Board meeting in New Delhi on February 10, 2023.
On the occasion, Vivek Bhardwaj also handed over two Major Mineral Blocks Geological Reports of Lithium Blocks in Jammu Division and G3 Study (Advanced Study) of Lithium, AI and Titanium in Jammu Division, located in Reasi district, to Secretary Mining J&K Amit Sharma for taking further necessary action in the matter.
The Lithium deposits are very critical for India, as the government has been focusing on electric cars, especially in the metro cities including Delhi, Mumbai, and others.
Importance of Lithium
Lithium is a non-ferrous metal and is one of the key components in rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, and electric vehicles. It is also used in some non-rechargeable batteries for things like heart pacemakers, toys, and clocks. Currently, India is import-dependent on Lithium.
Earlier, the mines ministry had said that to strengthen the critical mineral supply chain for emerging technologies, the government was taking several proactive measures to secure minerals, including Lithium, from Australia and Argentina. Currently, India is import-dependent on many minerals like Lithium, nickel, and cobalt.
More recently, Lithium has been a central player in the development and production of renewable energy technology. Its ability to store energy has been crucial in capturing and storing energy created through wind, solar, and hydropower, and many pieces of machinery or technology have lithium batteries to maintain and distribute that energy long after the source has stopped producing energy.
Solar-powered vehicles, for example, can only generate energy while the sun is out, but Lithium batteries can continue to provide previously generated energy after the sunshine is gone.