Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (GMDC) has taken a major step forward in its rare earths strategy after the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) transferred an indigenous rare earth processing technology to the corporation for its Ambadungar Rare Earth Project. BARC operates under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and is India’s premier research and development institution.
Technology transfer marks a strategic milestone
The technology transfer ceremony was held at the BARC campus in Trombay, in the presence of the Director, BARC, the Director of the Materials Group at BARC, and senior officials from GMDC. The event underscored growing collaboration between India’s scientific institutions and public sector enterprises in advancing critical mineral capabilities.
Indigenous process tailored for Ambadungar ore
Developed entirely by BARC, the technology—titled “Process for the Recovery of Rare Earth Values from Ankeritic Ore Body of Ambadungar, Gujarat, India (CH48MinD)”—is designed to produce Mixed Rare Earth Concentrate (MREC) from Ambadungar’s hard-rock ankeritic ore. Crucially, the process addresses ore-specific technical challenges and provides GMDC with a reliable and scalable pathway for rare earth extraction, while laying a strong foundation for pilot-scale validation.
Pilot-scale deployment with technical support
Going forward, GMDC plans to deploy the technology initially at the pilot scale, with continued technical support from BARC. The pilot phase will focus on process validation, recovery optimisation, and environmental performance assessment before the project advances to subsequent development stages.
Leveraging iCEM to accelerate validation
In addition, GMDC intends to leverage its promoted institution—the International Centre of Excellence in Mining Safety and Automation (iCEM), Ahmedabad—for pilot-scale operations and analytical testing. This integrated approach is expected to shorten development timelines while strengthening in-house and institutional capabilities.
Management reiterates alignment with national priorities
Commenting on the development, Shri Roopwant Singh, IAS, Managing Director, GMDC, said the technology transfer marks a significant milestone in the company’s rare earths roadmap.
“The transfer of rare earth processing technology from BARC for the Ambadungar REE Project represents an important step in GMDC’s rare earths journey. It enhances our ability to develop the project in a systematic and responsible manner, while enabling the creation of an end-to-end, future-ready rare earth value chain. Our focus remains on long-term value creation aligned with India’s critical minerals strategy and the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision,” he said.
Strengthening India’s rare earths ecosystem
Overall, the collaboration between GMDC and BARC reinforces India’s push to build indigenous capabilities in critical minerals. As reported by psuconnect.in, by combining scientific innovation with industrial execution, the Ambadungar project is poised to play a meaningful role in strengthening the country’s rare earths ecosystem and reducing dependence on external supply chains.
