The International Energy Agency (IEA) and India’s Ministry of Mines have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster closer collaboration on critical minerals—key materials crucial for the development of clean energy technologies. The MoU, which outlines areas of cooperation from data sharing and statistics to best practices for modelling and analysis, was exchanged today in the presence of India’s Minister for Coal and Mines, Kishan Reddy. The signing ceremony was attended by IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and Shri V.L. Kantha Rao, Secretary of India’s Ministry of Mines, during a workshop on critical minerals recycling organized by the IEA and the Ministry of Mines.
The agreement underscores the growing importance of securing and ensuring a stable supply of critical minerals amid increasing global demand, volatile prices, and geopolitical uncertainties. These minerals are essential for technologies such as electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines, which are at the heart of the global energy transition.
The IEA has made critical minerals a priority focus in its analysis, and the Agency is preparing to release a special report in November as part of its World Energy Outlook series. This report will explore the growing role of critical minerals recycling, including emerging business models in urban mining—the process of extracting valuable materials from electronic waste and discarded appliances. This follows the IEA’s earlier publication of the Global Critical Minerals Outlook, which highlighted the challenges and opportunities in securing supply for the energy transition.
The MoU between the IEA and India’s Ministry of Mines is a significant step in addressing these challenges and fostering a stronger, more resilient global supply chain for critical minerals.
