India’s critical minerals strategy needs to move beyond exploration and mining towards processing, refining, recycling and downstream manufacturing, according to Synergia Foundation, an independent, non-partisan strategic affairs think tank. Critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, copper, rare earth elements, gallium, germanium, vanadium and tungsten are essential to electric vehicles, batteries, renewable energy systems, semiconductors, advanced electronics, defence equipment and digital infrastructure.
While India has significant mineral resources and has taken steps to strengthen domestic exploration through initiatives such as the National Critical Mineral Mission, global supply chains remain concentrated, particularly in processing and refining. Disruptions and restrictions affecting the movement of critical materials have highlighted the risks associated with dependence on a limited number of suppliers.
“The real gap is between mineral potential and strategic supply,” said Lt Gen G A V Reddy, AVSM, SC, VSM (Retd), Chief Strategic Officer, Synergia Foundation. “India’s critical minerals challenge is not simply about what lies beneath the ground. It is about whether we can convert mineral potential into reliable strategic supply. Exploration is only the first step. The real advantage lies in processing, refining, recycling, technology and downstream manufacturing. A mineral in the ground is not security until it enters the supply chain.”
Synergia Foundation said India needs to develop an integrated critical minerals ecosystem linking exploration and mining with beneficiation, refining, recycling and industrial manufacturing. The organisation pointed to the importance of midstream capabilities, noting that countries with strong positions in mineral processing and refining have greater influence over the supply of materials required by strategic industries.
China’s position across mining, separation, refining, processing, component manufacturing and overseas resource acquisition demonstrates the importance of controlling the stages between extraction and finished industrial products. According to the International Energy Agency, China is the leading refiner for 19 of the 20 strategic minerals covered in its analysis, with an average refining share of around 70%.
Synergia has identified three priorities for India. The first is to build domestic processing capacity through dedicated processing parks, refining and separation facilities, recycling infrastructure, and testing and certification capabilities for minerals important to defence, energy and advanced manufacturing.
The second priority is diversification of international supply. India needs long-term partnerships, offtake agreements and strategic investments across Africa, Australia, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Growing engagement with countries such as Zambia for copper and other critical minerals can form part of this strategy. The third priority is to connect mineral security with downstream industries. Policies covering critical minerals need to be closely aligned with India’s ambitions in electric vehicles, batteries, semiconductors, defence, renewable energy and grid infrastructure.
“Critical minerals are no longer a mining issue. They are an industrial, economic and national security issue,” said Tobby Simon, Founder & President, Synergia Foundation. “India’s next phase of growth will depend on securing the materials that sit at the foundation of our energy, technology and defence ambitions. The objective should not be complete self-sufficiency. It should be strategic resilience.”
Synergia said India does not need to replicate any single country’s model. A combination of government policy, private-sector investment, domestic processing, overseas resource diversification, research and development, recycling and downstream manufacturing can provide a more resilient supply chain.
The National Critical Mineral Mission has established a policy framework covering exploration, mining, beneficiation, processing and recovery from end-of-life products, alongside measures relating to overseas mineral assets, recycling, research and development and processing infrastructure.
According to Synergia Foundation, the next challenge is execution. Building capabilities in processing, technology and downstream manufacturing would enable India to convert access to mineral resources into greater industrial resilience, technological capacity and strategic autonomy.
Synergia Foundation is an independent, non-partisan strategic affairs think tank based in Bengaluru, focused on geopolitics, geoeconomics, national security and emerging technologies. Led by Tobby Simon, Founder & President, the foundation brings together experts across strategy, diplomacy, defence, technology and policy to provide research, strategic foresight and perspectives on complex global challenges. With an India and Indo-Pacific focus and a global outlook, Synergia convenes high-level dialogues and develops research
