Hindustan Zinc plans to ramp up capacity by 50 per cent.

Vedanta-owned Hindustan Zinc Ltd. (HZL) plans to raise its zinc production capacity from 1 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 1.5 mtpa through brownfield expansion.

“Zinc will play a key role in India’s growth story. We are looking forward to at least 3-4 per cent growth in the sector and plan to ramp up our production by 50 per cent from 1 mtpa to 1.5 mtpa,” said Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Chairperson of HZL, at the company’s 57th annual general meeting.

During the 2022-23 fiscal, the company achieved production exceeding 1 million tonnes of refined metal. In the initial quarter of the new fiscal, it recorded a metal production of 257 kilotonnes on the back of investing in latest technology for maximum metal recovery and digitisation of mining and smelting operations, said Hebbar.

HZL plans to decrease its reliance on coal by 50 per cent in two years with an aim to enhance its sustainability.

“Today, the Pantnagar Metal Plant is powered entirely by renewable energy, and with our solar and wind projects accounting for 180 MW and 250 MW respectively, HZL will reduce its coal dependency by 50 per cent by 2025,” she said. HZL was the first in the country to introduce battery-operated electric vehicles in underground mining, she added.

The company is aiming to achieve its ESG targets by 2030, ahead of the parent Vedanta Group’s goal set at 2050, added Hebbar.

HBL