India joins global chase for Zambia, DRC critical minerals

India has reportedly dispatched a team of geologists to Zambia to explore copper and cobalt deposits in move seen to be the Asian country’s strategy to get a share of critical minerals.

Should the team succeed, this will be second mining venture by an Indian conglomerate after Vedanta Resources which owns Konkola Copper Mine on the Copperbelt.

According to a report by Reuters monitored from india-sends-geologists-to-zambia-to-explore-copper-and-cobalt-deposits-sources-say-Mining-Weekly , two Indian government sources said New Delhi had stepped up efforts to secure critical mineral supplies essential to its energy transition.

The Zambian government this year reportedly agreed to allocate 9,000 km2 to India for the exploration of cobalt – a key component in batteries for electric vehicles and mobile phones – as well as for scouting copper, which is widely used in power generation, electronics, and construction.

India has held internal discussions over its growing vulnerability to a tightening global copper market and plans to explore ways to secure supply from resource-rich countries during ongoing trade negotiations, Reuters reported last week.

The exploration project will last for three years and most of the analysis will be done in laboratories in India, one of the sources said.

The team is expected to make multiple visits over the course of the entire project, said the sources, who declined to be identified because the information is not public.

After assessing the mining potential, the Indian government will seek a mining lease from the Zambian government and may also invite private-sector companies to participate in the project, the sources said.

New Delhi is said to be in talks with several African countries to acquire critical mineral blocks on a government-to-government basis, while also exploring opportunities in Australia and Latin America.

India is also in discussions with the Democratic Republic of Congo to sign an initial agreement to secure supplies of cobalt and copper, Reuters reported in March.

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