A large deposit of Lithium reserves amounting to 5.9 million tonnes of the metal has been found in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
According to a report released by the Ministry of Mines, the large deposit of the non-ferrous metal that is one of the key components of EV batteries was found in the Salal-Haimana area of Reasi district in Jammu and Kashmir by the Geological Survey of India.
The news of the large Lithium deposit in Jammu and Kashmir after a much smaller deposit of the metal was found in Karnataka. Preliminary surveys conducted by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research had found 1,600 tonnes of the increasingly precious Lithium in Karnataka’s Mandya district.
So what exactly does the discovery of this large deposit of lithium mean for India and its nascent EV industry? Well, the large deposit of lithium comes as a boon for the Indian EV industry. India currently imports most of the lithium it uses for EV batteries and other electrical applications from Argentina and Australia, countries with some of the largest deposits of the non-ferrous metal.
With the discovery of the large deposit in Jammu and Kashmir, India could soon start making use of the metal in the lithium-ion battery packs manufactured in the country. This should hopefully mean a drop in the overall prices of these powerful power packs that are used around the world in everything from smartwatches and mobile phones to EV battery packs.
The Indian Government is looking to ensure that 30 per cent of all private cars sold by 2030 will be EVs. The Government’s EV penetration targets for Commercial Vehicles and two and three-wheelers are even higher at 70 and 80 per cent.
While the new deposits may accelerate the growth of battery-powered EVs and help push us towards a greener future, the mining of Lithium isn’t what you would call a green process. Extracting lithium from the rocks requires quite a bit of water and releases a whole load of CO2 into the air.
Once the metal is mined, it is roasted a process which damages the soil and contaminates the air as well, something which has led many green activists to rail against the mining of the metal due to environmental reasons.
Final Thoughts On India’s Discovery Of A lArge Lithium Deposit In Jammu & Kashmir
The discovery of the large deposit of lithium in J&K will come as a boon for India’s push towards a carbon-neutral future. However, the mining process for lithium is said to be rather toxic, which could lead to bad consequences for the environment in the long term.
Keyword: 5.9 Million Tonnes of Lithium Found In J&K - Good News For India's EV Push?