India has an opportunity to emerge as a global hub for processing critical minerals rather than remaining dependent on imported refined materials, executives of N.A.N. GreenMet Pvt. Ltd. and Belgium’s Silox Group said, as the two companies announced a partnership to deploy advanced hydrometallurgical technology for recovering and refining battery-grade metals.
The joint venture comes as governments worldwide seek to diversify critical mineral supply chains away from China, which dominates global refining and processing of lithium, cobalt, nickel and other materials essential for electric vehicles and energy storage. Modi government is already not lagging behind in building infrastructure for essential tech materials as India joined the Pax Silica alliance and launched the National Critical Mineral Mission to secure essential tech materials. The strategy focuses on domestic processing plants, overseas mineral assets, and recycling. This reduces reliance on single-source monopolies like China for materials needed for electric vehicles and chips.
Naivedya Agarwal, Director of N.A.N. GreenMet, said India’s priority should be to develop domestic refining capabilities instead of limiting itself to recovering minerals from battery waste.
“The real strategic value in critical minerals lies in access to raw materials and the ability to process and refine them into battery-grade products. Today, much of the world’s refining and processing capability is concentrated in just a few geographies,” Agarwal said.
He said the joint venture would deploy Silox’s proprietary hydrometallurgical technology to produce high-purity battery-grade lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese salts, while also exploring downstream production of precursor cathode active material (pCAM) and cathode active material (CAM).
“Critical minerals are only as strategic as a country’s ability to process them. Our objective is to help build that processing capability in India,” he said
India currently imports much of its processed critical minerals even as demand is expected to surge with the expansion of domestic electric vehicle manufacturing and battery production.
The government has sought to strengthen the sector through initiatives such as the National Critical Mineral Mission, the ₹1,500-crore Critical Minerals Recycling Scheme and the Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Production Linked Incentive scheme.
Agarwal said these measures are laying the foundation for a domestic critical minerals ecosystem.
“Our ambition is not simply to recycle batteries, but to help establish India as a trusted partner in the global critical minerals value chain through higher-value processing and technology-led advanced manufacturing,” he said.
Silox Group Chairman Jean-Christophe (J.C.) Bogaert said India was becoming an increasingly important part of the company’s long-term global strategy because of its rapidly expanding EV and battery manufacturing sectors.
“We see India as both a strategic manufacturing partner and an important long-term market,” Bogaert said.
He said global supply chains were increasingly shifting towards trusted manufacturing partners capable of providing resilient alternatives for critical raw materials.
“The future of the critical minerals industry will be built on collaboration between technology leaders and regional manufacturing hubs, and India is well positioned to become one of those hubs,” he said.
According to the executives, building domestic processing capacity will help reduce import dependence, create greater value addition within India and strengthen the country’s position in global clean-energy supply chains, where demand for battery-grade minerals is expected to grow sharply over the coming decade.
Union Minister of Coal and Mines, G. Kishan Reddy has already announced the India Mining Week 2026, India’s largest conference-cum-exhibition for the mining and minerals sector, scheduled to be held from 15 – 17 November 2026 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre.Referring to emerging global challenges related to energy security, critical minerals and resilient supply chains, he said India is pursuing an integrated approach that combines policy reforms, technological advancement, value addition, sustainability and international collaboration to build a future-ready mining ecosystem.