Researchers Discovered Rare Lithium Reserves Near Bengaluru

India has been shifting from fuel vehicles to electric ones. However, it has not been an easy road because of heavy vehicle costs as well as inaccessible charging infrastructures. But things might change soon as researchers have just found rare lithium reserves in Madya which is about 100 kilometers from Bengaluru.

If you have no idea what lithium is, it has a crucial role in helping develop batteries powering our smartphones as well as electric cars. About the recently discovered rare lithium reserves, according to researchers of the Atomic Minerals Directorate which is a unit of the country’s Atomic Energy Commission, the weight of the reserves is about 14,100 tonnes.

Emeritus Professor N Munichandraiah at Indian Institute of Science explains:

If you are wondering if this is a lot, it is, when compared to other countries that are desperately in need of lithium for the development of li-ion batteries. But 14,000 tonnes is not that large, compared to Chile’s 8.6 million tonnes, Australia’s 2.8 million tonnes, Argentina’s 1.7 million tonnes, and Portugal’s 60,000 tonnes.

At the moment, India is still dependent on these countries for its needs for the metal. Its imports of the metal have increased from $384 million back in 2017 to $1.2 billion in 2019.

According to Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan’s data, $919 million of lithium had been imported by India until November 2019.

But the country’s authorities haven’t established a detailed plan for mapping the metal’s local reserves. Khanij Bidesh India Ltd has been in charge of sourcing and acquiring mines in Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina.

While it might not be enough to quench the thirst for lithium, the reserves found in Madya could allow India to lower the prices for smartphones, electric vehicles, and other devices powered by li-ion batteries and are manufactured in the country.

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