New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has asked IREL (India) Limited to explore collaborations with foreign companies in Australia, South Africa, Senegal, Mozambique and other resource-rich countries, while also ensuring timely completion of its seven major ongoing projects, to strengthen India’s capability across the entire rare earth value chain amid an uncertain geopolitical environment.
Follow Energy Watch on X
In its latest report tabled in Parliament, the Committee on Public Undertakings (CPU) said IREL should pursue partnerships with overseas firms through “mutual understanding for technology transfer, sharing of skilled manpower, knowhow and expertise to grow together in the international market on mutual benefit or win-win condition,” as China continues to dominate the global rare earth ecosystem.
The committee noted that IREL faces stiff competition from countries such as China, Australia, South Africa, Senegal and Mozambique in the global rare earth and heavy mineral markets, with China having established a near-monopoly due to the scale and depth of its integrated rare earth industry.
In this context, the panel said collaboration with like-minded foreign companies could give IREL access to advanced technologies, skilled manpower and global markets, helping India gradually counter China’s dominance in rare earth processing and downstream manufacturing.
Alongside foreign partnerships, the committee underlined that timely completion of IREL’s ongoing projects is “of utmost importance” to make them cost-effective and enable them to start contributing to the national economy at the earliest in a strategically critical sector.
The panel said delays risk undermining India’s efforts to establish a complete rare earth value chain — from mining and processing to commercialisation — particularly at a time of heightened global competition and supply-chain uncertainty.
“The Committee, therefore, recommend that all these projects be completed within their stipulated time of completion and would like to be apprised of the status within six months,” it said.
IREL currently has seven major projects at different stages of implementation, including the Rare Earth and Titanium Theme Park in Bhopal, a joint venture with Kazakhstan’s UKTMP JSC for a titanium slag plant, a technology demonstration plant for advanced materials, and multiple mining projects in Odisha and Tamil Nadu.
The committee noted that, if completed on schedule, these projects could significantly enhance India’s capacity to establish an integrated rare earth ecosystem, covering mining, processing and downstream applications, in collaboration with private entrepreneurs.
The panel also linked the urgency of project execution to the strategic importance of rare earth elements, which are critical for defence, atomic energy, clean energy technologies and advanced manufacturing.
Follow Energy Watch on LinkedIN
Against this backdrop, it said faster project execution and international collaboration are essential for India to reduce external dependence and strengthen its position in the global rare earth supply chain.
The committee said it would review progress on both foreign collaboration efforts and project completion timelines over the next six months.
