India is said to be exploring rare earth samples from Russia as it steps up efforts to diversify critical mineral supply chains away from China.State mining company IREL is in talks with Rosneft over sourcing samples from the Tomtor deposit in Siberia, which the Russian oil major acquired last year. The discussions are being conducted through government channels, a Reuters source said. “The samples will be processed in Russia before being sent to India,” it said.India plans to study the mineral composition of Tomtor before considering any deeper work, the talks will remain confidential.IREL, under the Department of Atomic Energy, is leading India’s overseas effort to supply rare earths amid rising domestic demand and strained relations with China.Tomtor in Yakutia is home to one of the world’s largest undeveloped rare earth reserves.Rare earths are key inputs for electric vehicle motors, defense systems and clean energy technologies. India has approved a ₹73 billion ($770.77 million) program to boost domestic rare earth magnet production, but still lacks large-scale refining capacity for high-purity separation.The country has also explored sourcing samples from Myanmar in earlier efforts to secure supplies.IREL is in parallel discussions with companies in Japan and South Korea and is evaluating mining prospects in Argentina, Australia and Malawi with a target for domestic magnet production by 2029-30.India has the world’s third largest rare earth reserves of about 7.23 million metric tons, but does not currently produce rare earth magnets on a large scale.
