CIL & CMDC Partner on Critical Mineral Exploration

Coal India Ltd. (CIL) has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation (CMDC) to jointly explore and develop critical minerals and other strategic resources.

The partnership marks a significant step in CIL’s diversification strategy beyond coal and aligns with India’s broader efforts to secure domestic sources of essential minerals. This follows CIL’s recent initiatives in the non-coal mineral space, including collaborations with IREL (India) Ltd. and bids for graphite blocks in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

Critical minerals—such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements—are essential for the production of electric vehicle batteries, renewable energy technologies, and electronics, all key to India’s net-zero targets.

To reduce import dependency, the Indian government has identified 30 critical minerals and is actively promoting public and private sector participation in their exploration, processing, and recycling. This MoU supports those national objectives by leveraging CIL’s scale and CMDC’s regional expertise.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.