\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. How can the lithium discovery in J&K cut our reliance on Chinese imports?<\/strong><\/p>\n The Indian EV industry’s current dependence on China for lithium cells is one of its main obstacles. The midstream processing of significant raw minerals like manganese, cobalt, and lithium is dominated by China, which controls an astonishing 85% of the world’s raw material capacity. Additionally, India imports raw materials including lithium oxide and hydroxide; between April and November 2022, India paid $42.69 million for 716 tonnes of these important commodities.<\/p>\n However, with the recent finding of lithium reserves worth INR 34 trillion found in J&K, India can indeed become “Atmanirbhar” by lessening its dependence on other countries like China. By reducing its reliance on imports and lowering the cost of EV batteries, India will be encouraged by the discovery of the precious metal to produce its own lithium cells and establish an independent refining process. This would aid the country in making the transition to a more sustainable future. Also, the lithium found in Jammu and Kashmir might boost local employment possibilities and the state’s economic growth.<\/p>\n 2. How will the finding of lithium alter the balance of power between India and the rest of the world?<\/strong><\/p>\n After countries like Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Australia, and China, India will now be placed sixth globally as a result of the discovery of 5.9 million metric tonnes (MMT) of lithium resources in J&K. According to the World Economic Forum, the demand for lithium will reach 1.5 MT of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) by 2025 and more than 3 MT by 2030. This lithium demand forecast states that production must triple by 2025 and almost double by 2030. Hence, India’s discovery of lithium deposits comes just in time for the nation to start producing Lion batteries domestically, putting India on track to meet its goal of net zero emissions by 2070.<\/p>\n Most of India’s supplies come from China, making it the world’s top importer of lithium batteries. Around 165 crore lithium batteries are expected to have been imported into India between FY17 and FY20, at a potential cost of up to $3.3 billion. With the recently discovered Lion reserves, India can lessen its dependency on China and may potentially surpass China as one of the leading exporters of lithium batteries globally. Also, the finding of this important metal will help India’s position ahead of the upcoming G20 conference.<\/p>\n 3. Do you believe India has the resources necessary to obtain lithium sustainably?<\/strong><\/p>\n Although India’s lithium deposits alone may not guarantee the country’s domination in the EV manufacturing sector, they do provide the country with more power, if the extraction is successful and sustainable. Studies show that manufacturing a conventional EV produces more carbon pollution than manufacturing a gasoline-powered automobile due to the additional energy needed to build an EV battery. Additionally, the technique of acquiring lithium is inefficient because the extraction of lithium from the mines necessitates the use of a sizable amount of fresh groundwater.<\/p>\n India must consequently make use of environmentally friendly technology, such the tried-and-true Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) process. The method avoids evaporation, allowing for lithium extraction from the brine without endangering the local ecosystem or depleting the aquifer. To conduct mining operations in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner, India must be successful in putting this cutting-edge technology into practice.<\/p>\n 4. How would the GOI-launched PLI plan help the EV ecosystem’s supply chain?<\/strong><\/p>\n During the past few years, the government has steadily supported the development of the nation’s EV ecosystem through the implementation of legislative and policy frameworks like FAME II, the PLI Scheme for Auto and Auto Components, and battery manufacture. The government has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme of the National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage with a budgetary outlay of Rs. 18,100 crores in order to increase India’s manufacturing capabilities by achieving a manufacturing capacity of Fifty (50) Giga Watt Hours (GWh) of ACC.<\/p>\n By enabling them to set up a cell production facility that can service any application by choosing the most cutting-edge technology, appropriate equipment & machinery, raw materials, and other intermediate products, the PLI program will assist the companies that manufacture EV batteries. The ACC PLI program is predicted to directly affect national savings because of a significant drop in crude oil imports and an increase in the amount of renewable energy in the national grid. Additionally, India will be able to swiftly switch from traditional fossil fuel-based automobile transportation systems to Electric Vehicles (EV)-based systems that are more sophisticated, effective, and environmentally friendly thanks to the ACC PLI program and Faster Adoption of Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME).<\/p>\n![\"Renewable](\"https:\/\/www.renewable-india.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Akshay1.jpeg\")
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