India sends geologists to Zambia to discover copper and cobalt deposits, sources say

NEW DELHI -India has dispatched a group of geologists to Zambia to discover copper and cobalt deposits, two Indian authorities sources mentioned, as New Delhi steps up efforts to safe essential mineral provides important to its vitality transition.

The Zambian authorities this 12 months agreed to allocate 9,000 sq. km to India for the exploration of cobalt – a key part in batteries for electrical automobiles and cell phones – in addition to for scouting copper, which is extensively utilized in energy technology, electronics, and building.

The exploration mission will final for 3 years and a lot of the evaluation shall be performed in laboratories in India, one of many sources mentioned.

The group is predicted to make a number of visits over the course of the whole mission, mentioned the sources, who declined to be recognized as a result of the data is just not public.

After assessing the mining potential, the Indian authorities will search a mining lease from the Zambian authorities and can also invite private-sector corporations to take part within the mission, the sources mentioned.

India’s Ministry of Mines didn’t reply to a request for remark.

New Delhi has been in talks with a number of African international locations to amass essential mineral blocks on a government-to-government foundation, whereas additionally exploring alternatives in Australia and Latin America.

India can also be in discussions with the Democratic Republic of Congo to signal an preliminary settlement to safe provides of cobalt and copper, Reuters reported in March.

An Indian delegation attended a mining convention in Congo final month and toured native mines, the ministry mentioned in a put up on X.

India has held inside discussions over its rising vulnerability to a tightening international copper market and plans to discover methods to safe provide from resource-rich international locations throughout ongoing commerce negotiations, Reuters reported final week.

India’s copper imports have risen sharply for the reason that 2018 closure of Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper smelter. The nation imported 1.2 million metric tons of copper within the fiscal 12 months ending March 2025, up 4% from the earlier 12 months.

India is sort of totally depending on cobalt imports and shipments of cobalt oxide rose 20% in 2024/25 to 693 metric tons, authorities information confirmed.

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