India is said to be exploring rare earth samples from Russia as it steps up efforts to diversify critical mineral supply chains away from China.State miner IREL is in talks with Rosneft on sourcing samples from the Tomtor deposit in Siberia, which the Russian oil major acquired last year. The discussions are being routed through government channels, a Reuters source said. “The samples would be processed in Russia before being shipped to India,” it said.India plans to first study the mineral composition of Tomtor before considering any deeper engagement, with talks remaining confidential.IREL, under the Department of Atomic Energy, is leading India’s overseas push for rare earth supplies amid rising domestic demand and strained ties with China.Tomtor in Yakutia is among the world’s largest undeveloped rare earth deposits.Rare earths are key inputs for electric vehicle motors, defence systems and clean energy technologies. India has approved a 73 billion rupees ($770.77 million) programme to boost domestic rare earth magnet production but still lacks large-scale refining capacity for high-purity separation.The country has also explored sourcing samples from Myanmar in earlier efforts to secure supplies.IREL is in parallel discussions with firms in Japan and South Korea and is evaluating mining prospects in Argentina, Australia and Malawi, with domestic magnet production targeted for 2029–30.India holds the world’s third-largest rare earth reserves at about 7.23 million metric tons but does not currently produce rare earth magnets at scale.
