Rare Earth Minerals Reserve: The power on which China wants to rule the world and on which it has supremacy is now about to end. India has got such a ‘Brahmastra’ in its hands, which will make it easier to curb the arbitrariness of the dragon. A huge reserve of rare earth materials has been found in the 974 km long coast line of Andhra Pradesh. Experts say that the rare earth materials found on the beaches of Andhra Pradesh are of high-quality. Without rare earth materials, it is impossible to make fighter jets, smartphones, missiles, electric vehicles etc. China currently has control over 85 percent of rare earth materials. Due to the tariff war with America, China had tightened its exports. In such a situation, the development of high quality products in countries like India was adversely affected. Considering the current situation, India has decided to become self-reliant in this sector. Since then, the focus on detection of rare earth materials as well as its processing has increased. By using the reserves found on the Andhra coast, India will be able to produce 5th generation fighter jets as well as cutting edge devices like iPhone on its own. Besides, a large amount of revenue can also be earned from exports.
The 974 km long coastline of Andhra Pradesh is not only known for its beautiful beaches and fishing ports, but the sand hidden beneath it can prove to be very important for the future of India. There is a huge reserve of rare earth minerals in the heavy and deep sand of the sea shores stretching from Srikakulam to Nellore, which can meet India’s needs in strategic sectors like green energy, defense and semiconductor. A mineral called monazite is found in large quantities in sea sand. Monazite is a major source of rare earth elements and thorium. Apart from this, valuable minerals like Ilmenite, Rutile, Zircon, Garnet and Sillimanite are also present here. The special thing is that 55 to 60 percent rare earth oxide is found in the monazite coming from the coast of Andhra Pradesh, which is considered of high quality at the global level. It also contains 8 to 10 percent thorium, which is being considered as a potential fuel for India’s future nuclear reactors.
Where are rare earth minerals used?
- fighter jet
- electric vehicle
- missile
- smart fone
- Television
- paint
- medical equipments
Where are rare earth minerals found?
These minerals include light rare earth elements such as lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, praseodymium, samarium and europium. These elements play an important role in permanent magnets of electric vehicles, wind power turbines, missile guidance systems, satellite technology, fiber optics and modern medical equipment. According to geological surveys, there is a continuous mineral belt spread along the coast of Andhra Pradesh in areas like Bheemunipatnam, Kalingapatnam, Kakinada, Narasapur, Machilipatnam, Chirala, Vodarevu, Ramayapatnam and Dugarajapatnam. According to the report of ‘Times of India’, it is estimated that India has a total of more than 300 million tonnes of heavy mineral sand reserves, which includes 12 to 15 million tonnes of monazite. Of this, 30 to 35 percent is estimated to be in Andhra Pradesh alone. For a long time, these beaches could not be fully utilized due to nuclear regulations, limited processing capacity and policy constraints. But now, due to increasing tension in the global supply chain and the need to reduce dependence on China, Andhra Pradesh has come to the strategic center stage. Currently, China controls about 85 percent of the world’s rare earth processing capacity.
What are rare earth minerals?
Rare earth minerals are a group of 17 elements, which include elements like neodymium, lanthanum, cerium, dysprosium and yttrium. These may seem rare by name, but they are found on earth, but in very small quantities and scattered at different places. It is difficult and expensive to extract and purify them.
Why are rare earth minerals considered so important?
Because modern technology depends on them. Rare earth minerals are used in mobile phones, laptops, electric vehicles, wind mills, solar panels, missiles, radar and even semiconductor chips. It is difficult to imagine today’s high-tech world without them.
Do they have any impact on the life of common man also?
Absolutely… the speaker of the smartphone in your hand, magnets of headphones, TV screen, home appliances like AC and fridge – all these use rare earth minerals. That means they are directly related to the everyday life of common people.
What is their role in green energy and electric vehicles?
Rare earth minerals are very important in achieving green energy goals. Elements like neodymium and dysprosium are used in powerful magnets used in wind mills and motors of electric cars. If their supply is disrupted, the green energy and EV sector is directly affected.
How important are these for defense and national security?
Rare earth minerals play an important role in defense equipment. They are used in missile guidance systems, jet engines, radar and communication equipment. This is the reason why many countries consider them as strategic minerals and link their supply to national security.
Who is the largest producer of these in the world?
At present, China is the largest producer and processor of rare earth minerals. A large part of the global supply is in the hands of China. For this reason, countries like America, Europe, Japan and India are emphasizing on finding alternative sources and increasing domestic production.
Why are rare earth minerals important for India?
India is trying to become self-reliant in clean energy, semiconductor and defense production. Rare earth minerals are necessary for this. The country has a long coastline and reserves in some states, whose proper use can make India strategically strong.
What steps did Andhra Pradesh take?
Recognizing this opportunity, Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) has taken rapid steps towards mining and revenue generation. The Central Government has given lease to APMDC for beach sand mining in an area of 16 thousand hectares. Of these, operation approval has been received for 1,000 hectare area, which has been given to a private company through open tender. The state government is now seeking permission to open an additional 4,000 hectare area, after which there are plans to start work on the remaining 11,000 hectares as well. APMDC’s focus is not limited to mining only, but on value addition within the country. According to APMDC Managing Director Praveen Kumar, exporting raw minerals forces the country to import finished products at expensive prices. In such a situation, domestic processing and manufacturing is very important. The production-based incentive (PLI) scheme of the central government can bring a big change in this direction.
What is the provision of funding?
At present, the processing of monazite is handled only by Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL), which is a central public sector undertaking. Private companies can mine other minerals, but monazite has to be separated and handed over to IREL. To increase the capacity, IREL has planned to set up a 10 thousand tonne per annum capacity monazite processing plant at Gudur, Nellore, which is expected to be operational by 2026. The Central Government has taken another important step under the National Critical Mineral Mission. Under this, pilot projects are being approved for recovery of important minerals from mining waste, red mud, fly ash and industrial waste. There is a provision of funding up to Rs 100 crore for this. Andhra Pradesh can get special benefit from this, because rare earth elements are also present in the tailings accumulated here over the years.
How strong is the infrastructure?
Some infrastructure already exists in Andhra Pradesh. A private rare earth processing plant is operational at Anantapur and IREL has a beach sand separation plant at Visakhapatnam. Experts estimate that reprocessing alone could create an opportunity worth Rs 5,000 crore annually. The state government has also prepared proposals to extract rare earths from the fly ash of the thermal power plants of Nellore and Krishnapatnam. Scientists believe that up to 80 percent rare earth recovery is possible with modern technology. According to experts, if these plans are implemented rapidly, India’s dependence on rare earth imports can reduce from 95 percent to 50 percent in the next five years. Global demand is likely to increase manifold by 2030. In such a situation, Andhra Pradesh can play a decisive role in India’s journey towards clean energy, electric mobility and advanced technology.
