At its 59th Annual General Meeting, Hindustan Zinc Limited, a Vedanta Group company and the world’s largest integrated zinc producer, outlined its strategy for “Hindustan Zinc 2.0” – a shift from being India’s leading zinc and silver producer to building a diversified, multi-metal business that supports the nation’s long-term growth.
Chairperson Priya Agarwal Hebbar emphasized that the company is expanding its horizons beyond zinc and silver to meet the growing demand for critical minerals essential to clean energy, digital infrastructure, and national security. Hindustan Zinc is advancing exploration in copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, potash, and rare earths, while also assessing opportunities in neodymium, antimony, graphite, and germanium. The company recently became one of the first private players in India to secure a rare earth (monazite) block, a non-radioactive land-based resource distinct from traditional beach sand deposits.
To accelerate this transition, international tenders have been issued for advanced AI- and drone-led exploration, drawing expertise from global mining hubs including Australia, South Africa, Chile, and China. These initiatives align with the Government of India’s Critical Minerals Roadmap and strengthen India’s resource security.
During the AGM, the company highlighted its growing recognition in financial markets, with inclusion in the NSE’s Futures & Options segment and its position in the Nifty Next 50 and Nifty 100 indices. It also secured the 3rd rank within the Nifty Metal Index by market capitalization and was among the top 10 wealth creators on the Nifty 200 Index in FY25.
Hindustan Zinc is investing nearly ₹12,000 crore in the first phase of its capacity expansion program, including a new 250 KTPA integrated smelter at Zinc Smelter Debari, Rajasthan, and upgrades across mines and mills. Additionally, the company is developing India’s first tailings reprocessing project at Rampura Agucha with a 10 million tonne feed capacity, representing an investment of ₹3,823 crore. Beyond metals, downstream integration is being pursued through a large-scale fertilizer plant in Rajasthan, utilizing sulphuric acid by-products to strengthen India’s agricultural sector and reduce import reliance.
Sustainability remains central to this growth journey. Currently, 13% of operations are powered by renewables, with a target of 70% by FY28. The company is ranked the world’s most sustainable metals and mining enterprise by S&P Global CSA 2024 for two consecutive years, and is the first Indian miner to join the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). Hindustan Zinc is also recognized as water positive, with a 3.32x rating, and has committed to Net Zero by 2050 or earlier. Its recently launched EcoZen, Asia’s first low-carbon “green zinc” brand, delivers a carbon footprint nearly 75% lower than the global industry average.
Hindustan Zinc 2.0 is anchored on three pillars – evolving into a diversified multi-metal company, embedding circular economy and sustainability into every stage of operations, and leveraging technology-driven exploration. This transformation positions the company not only as a key player in energy transition metals but also as a partner in advancing Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat.
