India unveils Aluminium, Copper Vision Documents

News: Coal and Mines Minister released the Copper and Aluminium Vision Documents at the International Conference on Sustainable and Responsible Mining in Hyderabad.

India unveils Aluminium, Copper Vision Documents

The Aluminium Vision Document

• The document lays the foundation for a globally competitive and environmentally responsible aluminium industry.
• Key goals outlined in the Vision Document:
  • Scale up aluminium production six-fold by 2047
  • Expand bauxite production capacity to 150 million tonnes per annum (MTPA)
  • Double the national aluminium recycling rate
  • Adopt low-carbon technologies for sustainable production
  • Strengthen raw material security through targeted policy reforms
• Future demand: Aluminium demand in India will rise six-fold by 2047 and to meet this demand, India must ramp up production from current 4.5 million tonnes per annum to nearly 37 MTPA over the next two decades, which will need an additional investment of over ₹20 lakh crore.
• Status of Aluminium production
  • Bauxite (a sedimentary rock) is the primary ore of Aluminium.
  • India is the world’s second largest producer of aluminium, it accounts for just 6% of global production pointing to a massive untapped potential.
• Global production
  • World production of aluminium was at 67 million tonnes in 2022.
  • China continued to be the leading producer with a share of about 60% which is followed by Russia (6%), Canada (4.47%), UAE (4%), India (3.46%) and Bahrin (2.39%).

Copper Vision Document

• Aim: It aims for a six fold increase in demand by 2047 and outlines plans to add 5 million tonnes per annum of smelting and refining capacity by 2030.
• Focus: It focuses on scaling up secondary refining, enhancing domestic recycling, and reducing dependence on open-market imports by securing overseas mineral assets through global partnerships
• It lays the foundation for a sustainable, resilient and future-ready copper ecosystem for the country.
• Status of copper resources
  • India: India is not self-sufficient in the production of copper ore.
  • Distribution in In India:

• Global reserves:
• • The world reserves of copper are assessed at 1000 million tonnes of copper content.
  • Chile has the largest share, accounting for about 19% of world reserves, followed by Peru (12%), Australia (10%), Russia & Congo (8% each), Mexico & USA (5% each), China (4%), Poland (3%), Indonesia, Zambia & Kazakhstan (2% each).