From a dinner table in Sydney to the floor of the world's premier mining forum, Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy spent Tuesday, 27 October 2026 weaving together a web of partnerships that could reshape where India sources the minerals powering its electric-vehicle and clean-energy revolution.

What Reddy was doing at IMARC 2026

The International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC), held annually in Sydney, is the southern hemisphere's largest gathering of mining executives, policymakers and technology companies — and one of the most consequential deal-making floors in the global resources calendar. Reddy arrived as part of an Indian ministerial push to use the forum not just for optics but for structured, bilateral conversations on critical minerals supply chains.

His engagements read like a full diplomatic sprint. He met Australia's Minister for Resources, Madeleine King, who holds federal authority over the country's vast lithium, cobalt and rare-earth reserves. He then sat down with NSW Minister Courtney Houssos, whose portfolio covers state-level mining regulation and investment facilitation — the nuts-and-bolts approvals that determine whether projects move from MoU to machinery. The day closed over dinner with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Mining Delegation, where industry leaders exchanged views on investment flows and new opportunities.

Why Metso and technology transfers matter here

One of the sharper signals of the day was Reddy's exploration of technology partnerships with Metso, the Finland-headquartered company that supplies advanced equipment and processing solutions to mines worldwide. India's mining sector has historically lagged on mechanisation and ore-processing efficiency — sectors where Metso's expertise is globally recognised. Bringing that kind of innovation closer to Indian operations is precisely what India's National Critical Mineral Mission, announced in Union Budget 2024, is designed to catalyse.

That mission targets a hard structural problem: India imports significant quantities of the minerals essential for EV batteries, solar panels and semiconductors, with supply chains concentrated in ways that carry strategic risk. The government's answer has been to build relationships with resource-rich democracies — Australia at the top of that list — and to attract capital and technology simultaneously.

The India-Australia minerals axis deepens

The foundation for Tuesday's conversations was laid with the India-Australia Critical Minerals Partnership MoU signed in 2023, which set the framework for joint exploration, processing and supply-chain cooperation. What Reddy was doing in Sydney was effectively the follow-through — converting a signed document into sectoral relationships, investment intent and technology pipelines.

Australia holds some of the world's largest reserves of lithium and cobalt, alongside a mature regulatory regime that Indian policymakers cite as a model. For Viksit Bharat — the government's long-horizon vision of a developed India — securing reliable, diversified mineral supply is not an option; it is the base layer on which the green-energy transition is built. Every handshake at IMARC is, in that frame, an infrastructure decision.

What to watch coming out of Sydney

The conversations at IMARC rarely produce signed agreements on the spot. The forum's value lies in creating the conditions for follow-through: joint working groups, investment facilitation frameworks and, eventually, amendments to India's Mines and Minerals Act that could make the country a more attractive destination for the global capital circling the sector. Watch for any announcements from the Ministry of Mines in the weeks ahead on joint exploration agreements or updated guidelines for critical mineral concessions.

India is no longer a passive buyer in the global minerals story. It is at the table, in Sydney, making the case — and the deals.