Hindustan Zinc (HZL), a Vedanta group firm, is exploring oportunities to expand into rare earth elements (REEs) to strengthen India’s mineral security and reduce reliance on China-dominated supply chains.

Chairperson Priya Agarwal Hebbar, addressing shareholders at the 59th AGM, announced that HZL is actively pursuing exploration opportunities in copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, potash, and REEs such as neodymium from monazite, alongside antimony, graphite, and germanium. She highlighted that “we have already floated international tenders for AI- and drone-led exploration, tapping advanced expertise from partners in Australia, South Africa, Chile, and even China.”

In the government’s fifth-tranche mineral auction, which for the first time included potash, tungsten, and REEs, HZL secured a rare earth (monazite) block, a non-radioactive land deposit distinct from the beach-sand monazite mined by Indian Rare Earths.

This marks a transformative step for the company, which has evolved from India’s largest zinc and silver producer to a multi-metal, future-enabling enterprise. Rare earths, critical to smartphones, EVs, wind turbines, defence systems, and advanced electronics, form the backbone of modern technology.