India will engage with Argentina, Indonesia and Oman next month seeking supplies of steelmaking raw materials like coking coal, iron ore and other key minerals, SteelOrbis learned from local media reports and industry circles on Friday, March 27.
Discussions with key personnel from these three countries are expected to be held during a steel industry summit scheduled next month in India, billed by the government as “the country’s largest international conference on steel”, sources said.
They said that Indonesia, which holds the largest nickel ore reserves globally, is a key supplier of ferronickel used in stainless steel production. Oman and Brazil are major sources of iron ore for India.
In talks with Argentina, India is looking to secure lithium and other critical minerals for state-run iron ore miner NMDC Limited, the sources added.
In January, the Indian government had highlighted its push to ensure steady supplies of critical raw materials such as coking coal, lithium, cobalt and rare earth elements, as it scales up steel production while advancing its clean energy transition.
