Foraying further into the critical minerals space, state-run Coal India informed Monday that it has executed a memorandum of understanding with Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation (CMDC) for “exploration and exploitation” of critical minerals. The latest development is an addition to their strategy in the central Indian state wherein it had secured itself a graphite and vanadium following auctions, this May.
Coal India had formally ventured into the critical minerals space June last year after having emerged as the “preferred bidder” for Khattali Chotti graphite block in the Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, the company in the past has entered multiple non-binding exploration MoUs, including with Hindustan Copper and IREL (India).
The state-run coal producer and explorer is among the varied exploration companies that have forayed into the space in the recent past. These include, Oil India, Steel Authority of India and ONGC Videsh, among others.
Imperative to note, until recently this year, exploration of critical minerals has also emerged as a policy imperative in New Delhi following global headwinds triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff regime and China’s retaliatory actions blocking the export of critical minerals. Poignant to note, the International Energy Agency (IEA) had indicated in their Global Critical Minerals Outlook (2025) about India possessing “major untapped resource potential”
Published – October 06, 2025 08:55 pm IST
