Explained: How J&K's lithium find can be India's white oil moment

The current demand of lithium ion batteries, around 3 gigawatt hour (GWh), is projected to touch around 20 GWh by 2026 and 70 GWh by 2030

So far, the one claim to fame for the Reasi district of Jammu & Kashmir had been the Salal Hydro­el­ectric Power Station on the Chenab river. It was the first hy­dr­opower project in J&K, under the Indus Waters Treaty Regi­me, completed 35 years ago.

Last week, Reasi sprang into national consciousness again when the Geological Survey of India (GSI) announced the Salal-Haimana area in Reasi could be sitting on 5.99 million tonnes of lithium reserves. The question is, can Reasi now barge into global consciousness by helping India become a force in electric vehicles? That depends on a lot of