Andhra Pradesh gives strategic push to tapping potential of rare earths and beach sand minerals

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Image utilized  for representational purposes. File

Image utilized for representational purposes. File | Photo Credit: Reuters

With 25% of India’s Beach Sand Mineral (BSM) deposits, Andhra Pradesh (AP) is giving a strategical propulsion to pat the immense economical imaginable of uncommon earths and titanium-based minerals. 

The determination is aimed astatine reducing India’s dependence connected China, which has a vice-like grip connected planetary proviso chains, portion creating a caller downstream manufacturing hub on the State’s 1,053 km-long coastline.

As per Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) data, Andhra Pradesh has the 2nd highest BSM reserves successful India, with peculiarly precocious concentrations of ilmenite, rutile, zircon and monazite, the past being a cardinal root of Rare Earth Elements (REEs).  

A authorities merchandise said BSM are captious inputs crossed a scope of high-value industries, from paints and aerospace components to atomic substance and imperishable magnets utilized successful electrical vehicles and upwind turbines.

Ilmenite and rutile are processed into titanium dioxide pigment and titanium metal, portion monazite yields uncommon world oxides indispensable for electronics and cleanable vigor technologies.  

Andhra’s determination comes against Chinese domination implicit much than fractional of planetary titanium mineral accumulation and controls implicit 90% of uncommon world processing capacity, creating important proviso vulnerabilities for importing nations similar India.  

India already imports implicit 75%  of its titanium dioxide pigment requirements, with astir 2/3rd of it sourced from China, contempt having immoderate of the world’s largest titanium mineral reserves.  

The uncommon world accidental is adjacent much pronounced arsenic the request for uncommon world imperishable magnets (crucial for EV motors, renewable vigor systems, defence instrumentality and user electronics) is projected to turn astatine implicit 15% annually successful India, with full request expected to treble by 2030.  

APMDC already secured approvals for 10 large formation soil deposits crossed Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada and Krishna districts  Several further blocks are nether improvement oregon successful precocious clearance stages. 

Andhra Pradesh’s formation soil strategy aligns intimately with India’s broader propulsion for captious mineral information and home manufacturing nether cleanable vigor and defence programs.

Published - February 28, 2026 11:36 americium IST

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