·                              Over ₹21,000 crore invested through FY26 in expanding metal production and capacity to strengthen the materials ecosystem supporting India’s EV and automotive industries.

·                              Vedanta has secured 10 critical mineral blocks, strengthening domestic access to resources essential for electric mobility, battery storage and clean-energy technologies.

 

THEBUSINESSBYES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 9, 2026

As India accelerates its transition to electric mobility, Vedanta Group is stepping up investments in the metals and critical minerals that will power the country’s next generation of vehicles and clean-energy infrastructure. The group has invested more than ₹21,000 crore through FY26 in projects spanning aluminium, zinc, value-added alloys, copper, steel, nickel and ferrochrome, strengthening domestic production capacities and positioning itself as a key player in India’s emerging EV and advanced manufacturing ecosystem.

India is the world’s third-largest automobile market by both production and sales. As EV adoption gathers pace, demand is expected to rise sharply for materials used across the electric mobility value chain—from batteries and energy-storage systems to electric motors, power electronics, semiconductor applications, charging infrastructure and lightweight vehicle components.

The need to secure these resources is particularly pressing as India currently imports more than 80% of its critical mineral requirements. Demand for critical minerals and rare earth elements could increase four- to tenfold by 2047, underscoring the importance of building resilient domestic supply chains.

Against this backdrop, Vedanta has emerged as a major participant in India’s critical minerals drive, securing 10 critical mineral blocks covering commodities such as copper, nickel-chromium-PGE (platinum group elements), tungsten, graphite, vanadium, rare earth elements and potash. Exploration is already underway across five of these blocks, as the group seeks to strengthen domestic access to materials increasingly important for vehicle efficiency, safety, sustainability and advanced manufacturing.

Vedanta’s diversified metals portfolio provides a broad foundation for its participation in India’s rapidly evolving electric mobility ecosystem.

Aluminium is particularly important to EV manufacturing because its lightweight properties can help reduce vehicle weight, improve energy efficiency and extend driving range. In FY2025–26, Vedanta Aluminium Metal Limited (NSE: VAML) produced a record 24.5 lakh tonnes of aluminium, reinforcing its position as India’s largest primary aluminium producer.

Its aluminium portfolio caters to automotive and other advanced applications through products including primary foundry alloys, rolled products, billets and slabs.

The company has also introduced low-carbon aluminium offerings, Restora and Restora Ultra, giving automotive manufacturers options to reduce the carbon footprint associated with their aluminium sourcing.

Investments at Vedanta Aluminium’s facilities at BALCO in Chhattisgarh and Jharsuguda in Odisha are expanding aluminium smelting and value-added production capacity for automotive, electrical and advanced applications. Supporting the future of mobility, the company has also launched Copper-Doped Alloy, developed for high-performance automotive applications, and Vedanta Foundry Alloy (VFA), a material designed for enhanced durability and developed in collaboration with IIT Delhi under its Primary Foundry Alloy (PFA) range.

Nickel represents one of Vedanta’s most direct links to the EV battery value chain. As India’s sole primary nickel producer, the group plays a significant role in strengthening domestic availability of a mineral that is an important component of the broader battery-metals ecosystem.

Vedanta’s zinc and silver businesses, operated through subsidiary Hindustan Zinc Limited, also support India’s expanding electrification ecosystem. Hindustan Zinc is the world’s largest integrated zinc producer and India’s sole primary silver producer.

In FY2025–26, Hindustan Zinc produced 851 kt of refined zinc and 627 tonnes of saleable silver. Its portfolio includes specialised automotive zinc alloys as well as EcoZen, its low-carbon zinc offering. Tata Steel and Silox India are among the early customers for the product.

Copper is another key material in the EV transition. Electric vehicles typically require three to four times more copper than conventional vehicles, owing to their extensive use of the metal in motors, cables, conductors and electrical systems.

Vedanta Limited recorded its highest-ever cathode production of 170 kt in FY2025–26, supporting applications across these electrification segments. Its investment in a Copper Rod Plant in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is also strengthening its downstream copper production capabilities.

Commenting on the announcement, Arun Misra, CEO, Vedanta Group, said: “As EV adoption accelerates, the strength of India’s journey will increasingly depend on its ability to secure reliable access to the metals and critical minerals that underpin vehicles, batteries and charging infrastructure. Building these capabilities domestically will be essential to creating supply chains capable of supporting India’s long-term mobility ambitions. At Vedanta, we are investing across this opportunity through our presence in key metals, while building capabilities in critical minerals. We are expanding our role across the resource base that will support the next generation of mobility and battery value chains.”

Vedanta is also pursuing next-generation battery technologies as part of its efforts to support India’s evolving EV and energy-storage ecosystem.

Through partnerships with IIT Madras and JNCASR, the group is developing sustainable zinc-based battery solutions, expanding its focus beyond the production of conventional metals to technologies and materials that could play a role in the future of energy storage.