India has discovered significant new lithium deposits, placing the nation at the forefront of the battery metals boom, the government there said.

The announcement this week of nearly 6 million tonnes of lithium deposits, discovered in Jammu and Kashmir states, sparked strong media interest.

The find was announced by the Indian Geological Survey after a series of surveys.

“Lithium-ion battery demand will grow exponentially in the power and transport sectors. Globally, there are 98 million tonnes of lithium resources and we (India) have found 5.5% of the total resources. If some of these resources can be converted to reserves, it would help us meet our domestic demand and also supply to the world,” said Rishabh Jain, senior programme lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) told the Times of India.