Unlocking the Potential of Lithium: J&K’s Discovery and Chile’s Willingness to Share Expertise
India’s Jammu and Kashmir has discovered deposits of lithium in the Kargil area with the assistance of the Geological Survey of India, according to a statement by the Indian government. The country has the potential to become self-sufficient in lithium production with this discovery, but it requires expertise to extract the metal sustainably and in an environmentally friendly manner. Chile, the world’s largest lithium producer, has expressed a willingness to share its expertise and is in the process of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India to formalize the partnership.
Chile has approximately 8.6 million tonnes of lithium reserves, which it has been mining for decades, and has accumulated considerable expertise in the field. The partnership between Chile and Jammu and Kashmir is expected to facilitate technology transfer, capacity building, and the sharing of best practices in the mining and processing of lithium. The MoU’s focus is on developing Jammu and Kashmir’s lithium reserves, potentially creating new job opportunities in the region, reducing India’s reliance on lithium imports, and enabling the country to meet the growing demand for lithium in electric vehicles and renewable energy storage.
