India’s Rare Earth Revolution: GMDC and BARC Join Forces

On 19 January 2026, Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) advanced its rare earths programme by receiving an indigenously developed rare earth processing technology from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

The technology transfer ceremony was held at BARC’s Trombay campus and attended by senior officials from both organisations. Developed by BARC, the technology is designed to extract Mixed Rare Earth Concentrate (MREC) from Ambadungar ankeritic ore in Gujarat. It addresses ore-specific technical challenges and provides a strong foundation for pilot-scale validation.

GMDC plans to deploy the technology initially on a pilot scale with continued technical support from BARC. The pilot phase will focus on optimising recovery rates, evaluating environmental performance, and fine-tuning the process prior to commercial scale-up. In addition, GMDC will leverage the facilities of the International Center of Excellence in Mining Safety and Automation (iCEM) in Ahmedabad for further testing and validation to support efficient project development.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.