Critical Minerals for India's Clean Energy Transition

The document analyzes the factors contributing to the 'criticality' of minerals in India, emphasizing that supply vulnerabilities arise from domestic scarcity and extreme import dependence. It highlights that India's net zero goals will drive significant demand for mineral-intensive technologies, specifically electric vehicle (EV) batteries and battery energy storage systems (BESS). The paper argues that mineral criticality is shaped by economic, social, and technical factors, and that India's specific vulnerabilities fall under the pillars of security, resilience, and sustainable supplies.

• The 'criticality' of minerals is determined by a combination of technical, social, and economic factors that restrict supply in the face of rising demand, with assessments typically focusing on economic importance and supply-side vulnerabilities that cause price volatility and market tightness.
• India's pursuit of net zero transition goals is expected to significantly increase the demand for minerals due to the high mineral intensity of battery energy storage systems (BESS) and electric vehicle (EV) batteries.
• India's vulnerabilities regarding critical minerals are categorized into security, resilience, and sustainable supplies, with supply insecurity specifically driven by a lack of domestic minerals and a heavy reliance on imports for processed minerals.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Critical Minerals for India's Clean Energy Transition. https://www.wri.org/research/critical-minerals-indias-clean-energy-transition

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Critical Minerals for India's Clean Energy Transition. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/critical-minerals-indias-clean-energy-transition.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Critical Minerals for India's Clean Energy Transition |url=https://www.wri.org/research/critical-minerals-indias-clean-energy-transition |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendcritical, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Critical Minerals for India's Clean Energy Transition}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/critical-minerals-indias-clean-energy-transition}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }