Lohum Targets Tenfold Nickel Expansion as Indian Critical-Minerals Company Looks Overseas for Mines

Indian critical-minerals and battery-materials company Lohum is preparing for a major international expansion that could transform it from a predominantly recycling-focused enterprise into a broader participant in the global battery-material supply chain. The Noida-headquartered company is exploring the acquisition of nickel mining assets in Indonesia and the Philippines, while simultaneously expanding lithium, battery-material and recycling operations across India, Africa and the Middle East.

At the centre of the strategy is an ambitious plan to increase Lohum’s annual nickel production from approximately 1,000 tonnes to 10,000 tonnes within the next 18 months. The company is also preparing to raise around ₹3,000 crore through a combination of equity and debt to support acquisitions and capacity expansion. The plans were disclosed by Lohum founder and CEO Rajat Verma in an interview with Reuters.

Indonesia and Philippines at Centre of Nickel Expansion

Lohum is examining potential nickel-mine acquisitions in Indonesia and the Philippines as it seeks direct access to one of the most important raw materials used by the global battery industry. Both countries occupy important positions in the international nickel market, with Indonesia emerging as the world’s largest producer and the Philippines remaining another significant supplier.

Acquiring mining assets would represent an important change in Lohum’s position within the battery-material value chain. The company built its business around recycling used lithium-ion batteries and recovering valuable materials from them, but direct participation in mining would give it access to primary mineral resources as well. The resulting business could combine newly mined minerals with materials recovered from end-of-life batteries.

Nickel Production Targeted to Increase Tenfold

Lohum currently produces approximately 1,000 tonnes of nickel annually, but the company intends to raise this to around 10,000 tonnes a year within 18 months. Reaching that target would require significant expansion across mineral sourcing, processing infrastructure and international operations.

Nickel is particularly important for several high-energy-density lithium-ion battery chemistries used in electric vehicles and energy-storage applications. As battery manufacturing expands globally, securing reliable sources of nickel has become an increasingly important consideration for battery producers and material suppliers.

For India, the development is also significant because much of the country’s emerging battery-manufacturing ecosystem remains dependent on internationally sourced critical minerals. Indian companies establishing direct links with overseas mineral resources could therefore contribute to a more diversified supply chain.

₹3,000-Crore Fundraising Planned for Expansion

Lohum plans to mobilise approximately ₹3,000 crore through equity and debt as it builds the financial base for its next phase of growth. The capital is expected to support its international mineral strategy as well as the expansion of processing, recycling and battery-material manufacturing capacity.

The fundraising reflects the scale of the company’s plans. Mining acquisitions require substantial capital even before investments in extraction, processing and logistics are considered. Lohum is simultaneously pursuing projects across several countries, making access to long-term financing an important part of its strategy.

The expansion would take Lohum considerably beyond the conventional boundaries of a battery-recycling company and move it towards an integrated critical-materials business covering multiple stages of the supply chain.

Lithium Operations Expanding in Zimbabwe

Alongside nickel, Lohum is developing its presence in Zimbabwe’s lithium sector. Zimbabwe possesses substantial hard-rock lithium resources and has attracted growing international investment as global battery companies search for additional sources of the mineral.

The African operation gives Lohum exposure to another strategically important battery material while reducing dependence on a single mineral or geographical market. Combined with the proposed nickel investments in Southeast Asia, the Zimbabwe venture could create a geographically diversified resource base extending across Asia and Africa.

The strategy also demonstrates how Indian companies are beginning to participate directly in international mineral markets instead of relying exclusively on imports arranged through conventional commodity supply chains.

Battery-Material Manufacturing Expands in Uttar Pradesh

While Lohum is looking overseas for mineral resources, part of the associated value addition is being developed within India. The company is establishing additional battery-material manufacturing capacity in Uttar Pradesh, connecting its international resource strategy with India’s expanding domestic battery industry.

Developing processing and material-production capabilities within India is important because possessing mineral resources alone does not create a complete battery supply chain. Minerals must undergo several stages of refining and chemical processing before they become materials suitable for battery-cell production.

Lohum’s approach therefore links overseas resource access with domestic industrial capability. If expanded successfully, the model could allow minerals sourced internationally to feed an increasingly sophisticated Indian battery-material manufacturing ecosystem.

Sharjah Facility Extends Recycling Network to Middle East

Lohum is also developing a battery-recycling facility in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, adding another international dimension to its operations. The Middle East facility will extend the company’s ability to collect and process used batteries outside India while recovering valuable minerals for reuse.

Recycling is becoming increasingly important to the battery industry because end-of-life lithium-ion batteries contain recoverable lithium, nickel, cobalt and other valuable materials. As the global population of electric vehicles and battery-storage systems increases, used batteries are expected to become an increasingly significant secondary source of critical minerals.

By operating both recycling facilities and pursuing primary mineral resources, Lohum is positioning itself to obtain materials from two complementary sources rather than depending entirely on conventional mining.

From Battery Recycler to Integrated Critical-Materials Company

Lohum began by developing technologies and processes around lithium-ion battery recycling, reuse and material recovery. Its expansion into international mining and battery-material production represents a broader evolution of that original business model.

The emerging structure could eventually cover much of the critical-material cycle. Primary minerals would come from mining and overseas resource partnerships, while secondary materials would be recovered from used batteries. Processing and battery-material production would then return those resources to the manufacturing supply chain.

Such integration could provide Lohum with greater control over material availability while reducing its exposure to fluctuations in individual commodity markets or supply sources.

Critical Minerals Become Increasingly Important for India

India’s expansion in electric vehicles, grid-scale energy storage, renewable power, electronics and advanced manufacturing is rapidly increasing demand for critical minerals. Lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite have consequently become strategically important industrial resources.

India does not currently possess domestic production of every critical mineral at the scale required by its emerging clean-energy industries. Overseas resource partnerships, mineral acquisitions, recycling and domestic processing are therefore becoming complementary elements of the country’s mineral-security strategy.

Private Indian companies can play an important role in this transition by establishing commercial supply chains connecting overseas resources with domestic manufacturing. Lohum’s proposed expansion provides a clear example of this emerging model.

Building an India-Linked Global Battery Supply Chain

Lohum’s strategy now stretches across several important parts of the global battery-material ecosystem. Proposed nickel acquisitions in Indonesia and the Philippines would strengthen upstream resource access, lithium operations in Zimbabwe would diversify the company’s mineral portfolio, the Sharjah recycling facility would expand its circular-material network, and new capacity in Uttar Pradesh would strengthen processing and manufacturing within India.

The immediate production objective is substantial. Increasing annual nickel output from approximately 1,000 tonnes to 10,000 tonnes within 18 months would represent a tenfold expansion and require the company to execute several parts of its international strategy simultaneously.

If the planned acquisitions, fundraising and capacity additions proceed, Lohum would move substantially beyond its origins in battery recycling and establish itself as an Indian critical-materials company operating across mining, recycling, processing and battery-material production. The expansion could also contribute to India’s broader effort to develop more resilient supply chains for the minerals required by its growing electric-mobility and clean-energy industries.

---

References

Reuters — India’s Lohum Seeks to Buy Nickel Mines in Indonesia, Philippines, 22 September 2026.

Lohum — Corporate information on battery recycling, critical-material recovery and battery-material operations.

Ministry of Mines, Government of India — National Critical Mineral Mission and India’s critical-mineral strategy.

---