Mineral Reserves Essential for Energy Transition Revealed

Why in the news?

  • Recent data highlights the critical role of specific mineral reserves in the global shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
  • Countries rich in minerals like lithium, cobalt, and rare earths are pivotal in supporting clean energy technologies essential for sustainable development and combating climate change.

Mineral Reserves Essential for Energy Transition Revealed

Overview of Mineral Reserves for Energy Transition:

Significance of Minerals: The global energy system relies on fossil fuels, but transitioning to a low-carbon system will require essential minerals for technologies like solar, wind, and nuclear power.

Key Minerals and Their Uses

  • Bauxite: Critical for aluminium production; used in wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries.
  • Cobalt: Vital for consumer electronics and lithium-ion batteries.
  • Copper: Essential for solar photovoltaics, wind power, and electricity grids.
  • Graphite: A key component in battery anodes, important for electric vehicles.
  • Lithium: Core element in lithium-ion batteries.
  • Nickel: Important for electric vehicle battery cathodes.
  • Rare Earths: Used in wind power and electric vehicles.
  • Uranium: Main fuel for nuclear energy production.

Mineral Resources Overview:

Categories of Minerals

  • Metallic Minerals: Sources of metals crucial for metallurgy.
    • Ferrous Minerals: Contain iron (e.g., iron ore, manganese); account for ~75% of metallic mineral production in India.
    • Non-Ferrous Minerals: Do not contain iron (e.g., copper, bauxite); India lacks abundant non-ferrous minerals, except bauxite.

Non-Metallic Minerals: Organic or inorganic, lacking extractable metals.

  • Mineral Fuels: Organic origins (e.g., coal, petroleum); known as fossil fuels.
  • Other Non-Metallic: Inorganic minerals (e.g., mica, limestone); used in cement, fertilisers, and electrical goods.

Characteristics of Minerals

  • Definite crystalline structure and chemical composition.
  • Naturally occurring, solid, formed by inorganic processes.
  • Unevenly distributed, with good quality minerals being scarcer.
  • Exhaustible over time and geologically slow to develop.

Distribution of Minerals in India

  • Uneven distribution tied to geological structures.
  • Gondwana System: Houses most coal deposits.
  • Dharwar & Cuddapah Systems: Contain major metallic minerals like copper, lead, and zinc.

Mineral-Rich Regions in India: Geographical Overview

  • Northern Belt
  • Chota Nagpur Plateau: Rich in Kynite (100%), Iron (90%), Chromium (90%), Mica (75%), Coal (70%), Manganese, Copper, and Limestone.
  • Assam: Notable petroleum reserves and lignite coal.
  • Central Belt
  • Chhattisgarh Region: Extension of Chhota Nagpur plateau; rich in iron and limestone.
  • Godavari-Wardha Valley: Significant coal fields.
  • Southern Region
  • East Karnataka: Bellary-Hospet region rich in iron.
  • Andhra Pradesh: Cuddapah and Kurnool for minerals; Nellore for Mica, Manganese, and Lignite coal.
  • Tamil Nadu: Neyveli known for lignite coal.
  • Telangana: Notable for bauxite.
  • South-West Region
  • Karnataka: Dharwad, Shimoga, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Chikmagalur for Iron, Manganese, and Limestone.
  • Goa: Rich in iron ore.
  • Maharashtra: Ratnagiri known for iron.
  • North-West Region
  • Gujarat and Rajasthan: Rich in petroleum; salt from Kutch and Pyala Lake.
  • Lake Sambhar and Didwana: Notable for Gypsum and Borax.

Energy Resources in India:

Conventional Sources

  • Types: Commercial (coal, petroleum, electricity) and Non-Commercial (firewood, straw, dried dung).
  • Characteristics: Limited, non-renewable, costly, cause pollution, and exhaustible.

Non-Conventional Sources

  • Types: Bioenergy, solar, wind, tidal energy, energy from urban waste.
  • Characteristics: Renewable, cheap, pollution-free, and inexhaustible.

Energy Reserves in India:

Coal Distribution

  • Gondwana Coal Fields: 98% of reserves; major production from the Damuda series.
  • Tertiary Coal Fields: 15-60 million years old; low carbon content, mainly in the extra-Peninsula regions (e.g., Jammu and Kashmir, Assam).

India’s Clean Energy Status:

  • Global Ranking:
  • 4th in Renewable Energy Installed Capacity.
  • 4th in Wind Power capacity.
  • 5th in Solar Power capacity.
  • Installed Capacity Growth: Increased from 37 GW (2014) to 193.58 GW (May 2024).
  • RE Targets:
  • 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity by Half of energy requirements from renewables by 2030.

Sources Referred:

PIB, The Hindu, Indian Express, Hindustan Times