India and France Deepen Critical Minerals Partnership for Clean Energy and Strategic Supply Chains

India and France have taken an important step in strengthening their strategic economic partnership by holding the first India-France Joint Working Group meeting on Critical Minerals in New Delhi. The meeting focused on cooperation in the exploration, processing and recycling of critical minerals and rare earth elements, with the larger goal of building resilient, sustainable and diversified supply chains.

The meeting was held on 6 July 2026 and was co-chaired by Benjamin Gallezot, France’s Interministerial Delegate for Strategic Minerals, and Kameshwar Saip, Joint Secretary, National Critical Mineral Mission, Ministry of Mines. The discussions brought together officials and technical experts from both sides at a time when critical minerals are becoming central to clean energy, electric mobility, defence technology, electronics and advanced manufacturing.

Critical minerals have emerged as one of the most important resource categories in the modern global economy. Minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, rare earth elements and other strategic materials are essential for batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, semiconductors, electric vehicles, magnets, aerospace systems and defence equipment. As countries move toward green energy and high-technology manufacturing, access to secure and reliable mineral supply chains has become a major national priority.

For India, the partnership with France comes at a crucial stage. India is expanding its renewable energy capacity, electric mobility ecosystem, battery storage plans, electronics manufacturing and defence industrial base. These sectors require steady access to minerals that are often concentrated in a few geographies. Diversifying supply chains through trusted partners is therefore important for India’s energy security, industrial competitiveness and long-term strategic autonomy.

During the Joint Working Group meeting, India and France discussed ways to strengthen cooperation across the entire critical minerals value chain. This included exploration, mining, processing, recycling, research, innovation and circularity. The focus on recycling is especially important because future mineral security will not depend only on new mining, but also on recovering valuable materials from batteries, electronics and industrial waste.

The participation of BRGM, the French Geological Survey, and the Geological Survey of India added strong technical depth to the discussions. Both institutions have maintained long-standing cooperation and are now expected to explore new avenues for joint work in mapping resources, sharing geological knowledge and improving understanding across the critical minerals value chain.

The visit also included wider strategic and industry-level engagement. Benjamin Gallezot met Deputy National Security Advisor Pavan Kapoor and interacted with Indian industry representatives during a session organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry. This shows that the minerals partnership is not limited to government-to-government dialogue. It also aims to bring industry, research institutions and strategic agencies into a coordinated framework.

The New Delhi meeting builds on the India-France Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in Critical Minerals, signed during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India in February 2026. That declaration created a framework for closer cooperation in exploration, mining, research and innovation, diversification of value chains, supply-chain resilience and circular economy approaches.

France brings strong capabilities in advanced materials, geological research, mining technology, recycling systems and European industrial networks. India brings a large and growing market, major demand from clean energy and manufacturing sectors, and a national mission focused on critical minerals. Together, the two countries can develop cooperation that serves both domestic priorities and wider global supply-chain stability.

The partnership also has a wider geopolitical dimension. The world is increasingly aware of the risks created by concentrated supply chains for rare earths and other strategic minerals. India and France, as trusted strategic partners, have a shared interest in building supply chains that are transparent, sustainable and resistant to disruption. Such cooperation can support not only bilateral industries, but also broader partnerships with other resource-rich countries.

For India’s clean energy transition, critical minerals will be as important as oil and gas were in the previous industrial era. Solar manufacturing, battery storage, electric vehicles and green technologies cannot scale without reliable access to these materials. Cooperation with France can help India strengthen technology partnerships, improve processing capability and build recycling systems that reduce long-term dependence on raw mineral imports.

The first Joint Working Group meeting therefore marks the beginning of a more structured India-France minerals partnership. By identifying common interests and potential collaboration projects across India, France and other key markets, both countries are laying the foundation for a practical and future-oriented resource strategy.

As India advances its National Critical Mineral Mission and France strengthens its own strategic minerals policy, cooperation between the two sides can become a key pillar of their broader strategic partnership. The focus on exploration, processing, recycling and sustainable supply chains reflects the needs of a changing global economy where mineral security, clean energy and technology leadership are deeply connected.

India-France critical minerals dialogue is about securing the materials that will power the next generation of industry, defence, mobility and clean energy. With the first Joint Working Group now in place, both countries have opened a new chapter in building resilient supply chains for the future.