Coal India is actively exploring partnership opportunities in rare-earth mining across Australia, Russia, Argentina, Chile and several African nations, as India moves to reduce its dependence on China-dominated supply chains. The initiative is being led by Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL), Coal India’s coking coal–focused subsidiary, according to its Chairman and Managing Director, Manoj Kumar Agarwal.
China’s Export Curbs Accelerate Diversification Push
The strategy gains urgency following China’s expansion of export restrictions on rare-earth minerals late last year. These curbs have raised concerns across critical downstream sectors, including automobiles, electronics and clean energy, which rely heavily on rare-earth supplies. Against this backdrop, Agarwal said the company is at an early stage of investing, exploring and collaborating with domestic and international partners to secure access to rare-earth metals.
Collaboration with Indian Public Sector Enterprises
As reported by miningweekly.com, in addition to overseas assets, Coal India is pursuing domestic opportunities. BCCL plans to collaborate with state-run enterprises such as IREL (India) Ltd, Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL) and Hindustan Copper Ltd. Through these partnerships, the company aims to build a diversified and resilient rare-earth supply base aligned with India’s strategic mineral objectives.
