Ladakh
Critical minerals, policy, and the energy transition
The Energy Transition in Ladakh, India
Ladakh, high-altitude union territory perched on the Tibetan Plateau, is turning intense sunshine and glacial rivers into a carbon-neutral energy base. In-state generation is about 139 MW, dominated by 50 MW Nimoo-Bazgo and 44 MW Chutak hydro schemes, with roughly 24 MW of solar-diesel hybrids serving Leh and Kargil. The Carbon Neutral Ladakh Vision targets 10 GW of solar and wind-solar hybrids by 2030, centred on a 5 GW plant at Pang and a 1.5 GW cluster on the Zanskar plateau. A 20 MW solar plus 40 MWh battery micro-grid at Leh airport is under construction, while NTPC is commissioning a 5 MW green-hydrogen plant to fuel buses and forward-area bases. A 10 GW, 765 kV HVDC line to Kaithal, Haryana, slated for 2028, will export surplus clean power to the national grid. Ladakh’s geology reinforces the energy pivot. Brines and borate fields at Puga and Pangong hold lithium and boron, the Indus Suture Zone contains tungsten and copper lodes, and high-grade gneisses at Tso Morari show rare-earth traces. By coupling gigawatt-scale renewables with emerging hydrogen, battery storage and critical minerals, Ladakh is positioning itself as India’s rooftop for low-carbon power and strategic materials.
A state-by-state analysis of India’s critical minerals and energy transition policies
SFA explores the state-level frontlines of India’s strategy to secure its position in the global energy transition. As demand surges for critical minerals used in electric vehicles, grid storage, solar, and hydrogen technologies, India is intensifying efforts to diversify supply, localise processing, and reduce strategic dependencies. This analysis examines how mineral endowments, state-level industrial policy, and renewable energy deployment intersect across the Indian landscape. From lithium-bearing pegmatites in Karnataka and Jammu & Kashmir to rare-earth-rich coastal sands in Tamil Nadu and Odisha, this state-by-state review highlights the opportunities and constraints shaping India’s clean-energy future and its role in global mineral security.
Andaman and Nicobar
Andaman and Nicobar Islands serve as a strategic clean-energy and logistics testbed. Solar microgrids and offshore surveys for cobalt and rare earths support India’s energy and maritime goals.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh is a key clean-power exporter with large-scale solar, pumped hydro and hydrogen. Barytes, beach-sand minerals and lithium pegmatites support India’s energy and materials supply chains.
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is central to India’s low-carbon baseload strategy with over 50 GW hydro potential. Tungsten, molybdenum and rare earths support energy and border security in the eastern Himalaya.
Assam
Assam supports eastern India’s energy transition through solar, hydro and batteries. Ultramafic geology holds PGMs, vanadium, rare earths, while gas and CBM aid grid stability.
Bihar
Bihar is scaling rooftop and floating solar to reduce grid dependency, supported by battery storage. Its chromite, pyrite and nickel reserves offer relevance to fertiliser supply chains and emerging clean-tech materials.
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a model for urban clean-energy deployment, integrating rooftop and floating solar, battery pilots and e-waste mining. It supports India’s circular economy and decentralised energy strategy.
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh combines solar and storage expansion with a strategic mineral base. It is India’s sole tin producer and hosts vanadium, bauxite, rare earths and iron ore essential for green industry.
DNHDD
This coastal union territory targets 100% daytime renewables via rooftop, quarry solar and near-shore wind. Coastal sands with ilmenite and zircon aid India’s low-carbon materials supply.
Goa
Goa supports India’s coastal clean-tech plans with floating and canal solar, near-shore wind and hydrogen-ready ports. Iron ore, bauxite and mineral sands supply steel, batteries and rare-earth components.
Gujarat
Gujarat is central to India’s clean-energy economy, with major solar, wind and hydrogen projects. It leads in lithium brines, solar glass and processing, reinforcing India’s role in renewable manufacturing and mineral supply.
Haryana
Haryana supports India's energy transition with rooftop and canal-top solar, bioenergy and storage. Tungsten-bearing geology and recycling bolster circular economy goals.
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh’s hydropower exports underpin northern India’s grid. Tungsten, molybdenum and limestone deposits support low-carbon infrastructure and green industry.
Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir plays a strategic role in India's clean-power goals through river hydropower and lithium exploration, with rare minerals and hydrogen potential in a sensitive corridor.
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a keyl node in India’s battery and strategic materials supply chain. With copper, cobalt, nickel, uranium and graphite reserves, it supports the nation's energy transition and mineral self-sufficiency goals.
Karnataka
Karnataka leads India’s wind-solar integration and green hydrogen development. It holds key lithium, iron ore and gold resources, advancing India’s clean-tech and low-carbon industrial competitiveness.
Kerala
Kerala supports India’s decentralised energy and mineral strategy with floating solar, pumped storage and some of the richest titanium and rare-earth sands. It links coastal resilience with strategic supply.
Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep is piloting island-scale energy self-reliance with distributed solar and battery systems. Its surrounding seabed is being explored for polymetallic nodules critical to India’s future battery metal supply.
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh anchors central India’s clean-power expansion with solar parks and pumped storage. Its copper, manganese, graphite and diamond reserves support India’s industrial and critical-mineral ambitions.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a key industrial state supporting India’s energy diversification through offshore wind, solar and hydrogen. It hosts vanadium, manganese and titanium sands vital to clean-tech and battery industries.
Manipur
Manipur contributes to India’s northeast energy resilience with valley solar, hydro and biomass. Chromite, nickel and rare-earth potential supports strategic materials diversification in a sensitive border region.
Meghalaya
Meghalaya combines hydropower and solar expansion with critical raw materials including limestone, uranium and nickel–cobalt, reinforcing India’s domestic resource and green building materials base.
Mizoram
Mizoram supports decentralised energy goals through solar, hydro, bio-CNG and battery systems. Its geology offers chromite–nickel potential aligned with India’s clean-tech material diversification.
Nagaland
Nagaland is enhancing regional power security through solar and hydro development. Its ophiolite belts contain chromite, nickel and PGMs, relevant to India’s strategic and defence materials agenda.
New Delhi
New Delhi pioneers urban clean-energy systems through solar, storage and EV infrastructure. Its circular economy model, based on e-waste recovery, supports national goals for critical mineral reuse and resilience.
Odisha
Odisha is a core state for India’s clean-industrial transition. It hosts vast iron ore, chromite and titanium reserves, and is scaling solar, hydrogen and storage for low-carbon manufacturing leadership.
Puducherry
Puducherry is advancing decentralised solar and storage in urban and coastal settings. Its urban mining efforts support India’s strategy for secondary metals and resilient clean-energy infrastructure.
Punjab
Punjab leverages agrivoltaics and bio-CNG to drive rural decarbonisation. While not mineral-rich, its circular economy initiatives strengthen India's renewable energy and emissions reduction framework.
Rajasthan
Rajasthan leads India’s renewable energy buildout with record solar capacity and hydrogen investments. It holds key reserves of zinc, copper, potash and tungsten, advancing India's strategic mineral autonomy.
Sikkim
Sikkim exports hydropower and offers high-altitude clean-energy reliability. With emerging lithium and graphite potential, it supports India’s Himalayan energy-security and battery strategy.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is India’s leading wind and green hydrogen state. Its graphite and titanium-rich coastal geology backs clean-tech manufacturing and critical mineral self-sufficiency.
Telangana
Telangana combines solar, battery and hydrogen development with mineral assets including iron ore, chromite and quartz. It supports India's midstream materials and low-carbon industrial base.
Tripura
Tripura advances India’s north-eastern energy resilience through solar and bamboo-based bio-CNG. Clay-rich soils with rare-earth potential support localised clean-tech supply chains.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh is scaling solar, batteries and pumped storage to meet rising demand. Copper, bauxite and potash deposits support fertiliser security and energy diversification.
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand supplies hydropower and is scaling pumped storage and hydrogen. Its tungsten, graphite and limestone resources back green construction and battery material pathways.
West Bengal
West Bengal is modernising its power mix with solar, hydrogen and storage. Titanium-rich sands, potash and coal-bed methane reserves support industrial decarbonisation and strategic fuel security.
Meet the Critical Minerals team
Trusted advice from a dedicated team of experts.
Henk de Hoop
Chief Executive Officer
Beresford Clarke
Managing Director: Technical & Research
Jamie Underwood
Principal Consultant
Ismet Soyocak
ESG & Critical Minerals Lead
Rj Coetzee
Senior Market Analyst: Battery Materials and Technologies
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