‘Lithium found in IIOJK of best quality’
New Delhi, February 11 (KMS): The first lithium reserve, found in Jammu and Kashmir, is of the best quality, a senior government official said on Saturday.
The 5.9 million tonne reserve of lithium, a crucial mineral for the manufacturing of electric vehicles and solar panels, had been discovered in the Reasi district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, by the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
“Lithium falls in the critical resource category which was not earlier available in India and we were dependent for its 100 percent import. The G3 (advanced) study of the GSI shows the presence of best quality lithium in abundant quantities in the foothills of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine at Salal village (Reasi),” J-K Mining Amit Secretary Sharma told Press Trust of India.
He said against the normal grade of 220 parts per million (PPM), the lithium found in J&K is of 500 ppm-plus grading, and with a stockpile of 5.9 million tons, India will surpass China in its availability.
Sharma said lithium has widespread usage and its discovery at a time of India’s G20 presidency provides an opportunity for J-K to showcase its rich reserves.
Asked about the possible timeline for its extraction to start, he said every project takes its own time. “We had G3 level study and it will now be followed by G2 and G1 study before the final extraction of the metal.”
