Coal India Plans First Overseas Trading Hub to Vie for Global Critical Minerals

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 20, India's state-owned mining company Coal India is establishing its first overseas trading hub in Singapore and has submitted registration applications to the relevant authorities there. The hub will handle trade in iron ore, critical minerals, and strategic minerals, while also supporting Coal India in screening, acquiring, and operating overseas mineral assets.

Coal India has identified Africa, South America, and Australia as key resource markets. It is currently evaluating bauxite and rare earth resources in Ghana and other parts of Africa, focusing its lithium resource deployment on Chile, while also studying critical mineral projects in Canada and Australia. The Singapore hub will also connect mineral trading, project financing, overseas M&A, and logistics services, establishing a regional platform for the company to enter mineral markets beyond coal.

Coal India has begun expanding its domestic non-coal mining operations. In August 2026, the company secured an iron ore block in Odisha, India, through a competitive auction, marking its first foray into iron ore mining. Once the Singapore hub becomes operational, it will provide support for related iron ore trading and overseas procurement.

Lithium resources are a key focus of Coal India's current overseas strategy. The company is studying the acquisition of Kuska Minerals, the Chilean subsidiary of Canada's Wealth Minerals, with the transaction structure also including plans for a joint venture. Kuska Minerals holds lithium brine assets in northern Chile, and Coal India and the company jointly applied to the Chilean government for lithium mining permits in October 2025.

Coal India has also previously approved the establishment of an intermediate holding company in Chile to hold interests in critical mineral projects such as lithium and copper. The Singapore trading hub will focus on international mineral trading and cross-regional asset allocation, while the Chilean entity will handle local project investment and asset management, together forming the framework of Coal India's overseas critical minerals business.

India is pushing state-owned mining enterprises to expand their overseas deployment of lithium, bauxite, copper, and rare earth resources. In 2024, Indian state-owned enterprise KABIL signed a lithium exploration and mining agreement with Argentina covering five mining blocks, which is currently India's main overseas lithium project to date. It is expected to enter the production phase within four to five years after the completion of feasibility studies.