NEW DELHI: State-owned Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) has received environmental clearance from the Argentine govt for deep exploration of five brine lithium blocks in the South American country.Officials said the environmental clearance from Argentina will allow the drilling of boreholes to undertake surveys and exploratory drilling, and to ascertain the total volume of the critical mineral available for extraction.Talking to reporters, mines secretary Piyush Goyal said production from these blocks is expected to begin in 2029. He also said the govt is working on a scheme for processing critical minerals, which is at an advanced stage of finalisation.KABIL had signed an exploration and development agreement with a state-owned enterprise of Argentina’s Catamarca province to help India strengthen lithium supplies while developing the lithium mining and downstream sectors in both countries.India is also exploring investment opportunities in lithium projects in Brazil, Canada and Australia.Speaking to reporters, Goyal said India is unable to import lithium available abroad due to the absence of a domestic processing value chain.“The scheme for processing of the critical mineral value chain is at an advanced stage,” he said, adding that details will be shared once it is approved. Lithium is an important raw material for batteries. The scheme is expected to enhance the resilience of EV and storage batteries in the country.