India’s state-backed mining consortium, Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL), has officially started lithium exploration in Argentina — a move aimed at bolstering the country’s long-term access to this critical mineral for its booming electric vehicle (EV) sector. By expanding into South America, India is taking a strategic step to secure essential raw materials and reduce dependence on imports.
KABIL — a joint venture formed by NALCO, Hindustan Copper, and Mineral Exploration & Consultancy Ltd — is now carrying out field exploration, geological surveys, and resource evaluations in Argentina’s lithium triangle. This region, shared by Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, is globally known for holding more than 50 percent of the world’s lithium reserves.
This exploration drive follows recent bilateral agreements between India and Argentina that focus on mining cooperation, technological exchange, and sustainable practices. On-the-ground teams from KABIL are actively working across major Argentine salars to locate high-quality lithium brine deposits suitable for commercial extraction.
Aligning with India’s National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage, this initiative supports the country’s push for domestic battery production, secure sourcing of raw materials, and local cell manufacturing. Lithium, being critical to EV batteries, large-scale storage, and renewable energy systems, makes this a strategically important project.
Looking ahead, KABIL’s exploration efforts are expected to lead to long-term mining rights, supply contracts, and possibly joint ventures for refining lithium. These developments aim to provide India with a stable feedstock for its upcoming gigafactories.
By making this move, India positions itself to better handle global battery materials supply chain risks and long-term demand. With plans to scale up EV adoption significantly by 2030, securing lithium resources abroad could strengthen India’s competitive edge in the international clean-energy landscape.
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