THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 27, 2026

Vedanta Ltd has commissioned India’s first high-tech, high-speed hydrostatic portable rig, strengthening its exploration capabilities as the country seeks to reduce dependence on imports of critical minerals.

Designed for deployment in inaccessible and challenging terrains, the rig can undertake high-speed drilling to depths of up to 1,000 metres, significantly higher than the typical 300–400 metre range. Its portability is expected to cut down time spent on moving equipment between exploration locations, enabling faster and more efficient mineral discovery.

The rigs have been deployed at two of Vedanta’s flagship exploration projects in Chhattisgarh, covering gold as well as critical minerals including nickel, chromium and platinum group elements (PGEs).

The company said the deployment marks a significant step-up in its exploration infrastructure, combining speed, safety and minimal surface intrusion to improve access to India’s largely untapped mineral reserves.

Vedanta said it has secured 10 critical mineral blocks, spanning gold, manganese, copper, nickel-chromium-PGE, tungsten, graphite, vanadium, rare earth elements and potash, with exploration already underway across five blocks. It has also been declared the successful bidder for the Punnam Manganese Block in Andhra Pradesh.

The move comes against the backdrop of India’s significant unexplored mineral potential. Government estimates cited by the company suggest that nearly 80 per cent of the country’s mineral resources remain unexplored. Gold has applications in medical technology and high-reliability electronics, while critical minerals such as copper and nickel are increasingly important for AI infrastructure, data centres, renewable energy, electric mobility, defence, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing.

Global demand is adding urgency to the search for new sources. The International Energy Agency projects that demand for critical minerals used in clean-energy technologies could nearly triple by 2030 under its Net Zero Emissions Scenario and quadruple by 2040, reaching close to 40 million tonnes annually.

Vedanta said its technology-led exploration push is part of its broader “Vedanta 2.0” transformation strategy, which seeks to expand the group’s presence in critical minerals and strengthen value-added processing in India.

With mineral assets across India, South Africa, Namibia, Liberia and Zambia, the group said it plans to expand into new geographies, deepen value-added processing within India and develop mining partnerships aligned with global environmental, social and governance standards.