India’s Vedanta expands metals exploration

: Metals
25/05/13

Indian private-sector mining firm Vedanta is exploring critical mineral assets in six states as it looks to strengthen its position in the fast-growing clean energy value chain.

Vedanta is exploring for copper, nickel, cobalt, chromium, vanadium, tungsten and platinum-group elements (PGEs) in states such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh supported by India's policy push for mineral security, it said on 10 May.

Vedanta secured four mineral blocks in the fourth round of India's critical mineral auctions. It won a vanadium and graphite block in Arunachal Pradesh and a cobalt, manganese, and iron (polymetallic) block in Karnataka. Its subsidiary Hindustan Zinc (HZL) was awarded one tungsten block in Andhra Pradesh and another in Tamil Nadu.

The company is expanding its value-added aluminium products capacity in billets, primary foundry alloys, rolled products and wire rods. Aluminium billets are used in the aerospace, defence and solar power sectors, while aluminium rolled products are used in high-speed railways, electric vehicles, pharmaceuticals and battery enclosures.

HZL is exploring uses for zinc beyond galvanizing steel to protect it from rust, which currently accounts for over 60pc of global zinc demand. It has entered the zinc alloy sector with a 30,000t plant and plans to significantly increase the share of value-added products in its aluminium portfolio to over 90pc in the near term.

Vedanta's board earlier this year approved an investment of about $1.5bn to expand its aluminium capacity, including an expansion at its smelter in Orisha to increase production, as well as increased value-added product capacity at its flagship aluminium plants.

By Deepika Singh

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25/06/19

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25/06/19

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