India’s clean energy transition, anchored in initiatives such as the National Electric Mobility Mission (NEMM), Production-Linked Incentives (PLI) for Advanced Chemistry Cells (ACC), and the rapid expansion of solar and grid-scale energy storage, rests heavily on access to critical minerals that the country does not currently control. Minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel are indispensable to lithium-ion battery technologies and emerging energy storage systems. However, India remains almost entirely import-dependent for these resources, exposing its clean energy ambitions to significant supply chain vulnerabilities.
As India accelerates electrification across transport and power sectors, its sustainable energy future will depend not only on technological adoption and manufacturing capacity, but also on reshaping the upstream supply chains that underpin these technologies. Continued reliance on concentrated and geopolitically sensitive mineral markets risks embedding strategic vulnerabilities into India’s energy transition. Conversely, proactive interventions could enable India to build resilience, diversify supply sources, and enhance strategic autonomy.
This paper examines the geopolitical structures governing critical mineral markets and assesses how they shape India’s exposure to supply disruptions, price volatility, and strategic competition using the Dependency Risk Index (DRI). By analysing where and how India sources key minerals, the study identifies a layered risk profile encompassing resource concentration, trade dependencies, and geopolitical leverage. The paper argues that informed, data-driven policy design, spanning overseas mineral partnerships, domestic recycling, substitution, and international cooperation, will be central to mitigating these risks. Decisions taken in the current decade will play a decisive role in determining India’s energy sovereignty, industrial competitiveness, and global positioning in the geopolitics of electrification by 2030 and beyond.
