Vedanta Group has invested more than Rs 21,000 crore through FY26 in projects aimed at expanding metal production and capacity across aluminium, zinc, value-added alloys, copper, steel, nickel and ferrochrome, as the company seeks to strengthen its position in India’s rapidly expanding electric mobility ecosystem.
The investments come as India’s EV market gathers pace and demand rises for the metals and critical minerals needed across batteries, electric motors, power electronics, semiconductor chips, charging infrastructure and lightweight vehicle components.
India is already the world’s third-largest automobile market by both production and sales. With EV adoption accelerating, demand for critical minerals and rare earth elements could rise fourfold to tenfold by 2047, even as the country currently imports more than 80% of its critical mineral requirements.
Vedanta is positioning itself to capture this growing opportunity. The group has secured 10 critical mineral blocks, spanning copper, nickel-chromium-PGE (Platinum Group Elements), tungsten, graphite, vanadium, rare earth elements and potash. Exploration is already underway across five of these blocks.
The strategy gives Vedanta exposure to materials expected to play an increasingly important role in vehicle safety, fuel efficiency, sustainability and lightweighting—key priorities as automakers seek to improve EV range while reducing emissions.
Aluminium is emerging as one of the most important materials in the EV transition because of its lightweight properties. Lower vehicle weight can improve energy efficiency and extend driving range, making aluminium increasingly relevant to electric vehicle manufacturers.
Vedanta Aluminium Metal Limited produced a record 24.5 lakh tonnes of aluminium in FY2025–26, strengthening its position as India’s largest primary aluminium producer.
Its portfolio includes primary foundry alloys, rolled products, billets and slabs for automotive and other advanced applications. The company has also developed low-carbon aluminium products, Restora and Restora Ultra, aimed at helping manufacturers reduce the carbon footprint of their material sourcing.
Capacity expansion at Vedanta Aluminium’s BALCO facility in Chhattisgarh and its Jharsuguda operations in Odisha is further increasing smelting and value-added aluminium capacity.
The company has also stepped up its focus on specialised automotive materials, recently launching Copper-Doped Alloy for high-performance automotive applications and Vedanta Foundry Alloy (VFA), developed with IIT Delhi to enhance durability, under its Primary Foundry Alloy range.
Nickel gives Vedanta a direct link to the EV battery supply chain. As India’s sole primary nickel producer, the group is seeking to strengthen domestic availability of a mineral critical to the battery ecosystem.
Vedanta’s zinc and silver businesses, operated through subsidiary Hindustan Zinc Limited, also have a growing role in India’s electrification push.
Hindustan Zinc, the world’s largest integrated zinc producer and India’s sole silver producer, produced 851 kt of refined zinc and 627 tonnes of saleable silver in FY2025–26.
Its portfolio includes specialised automotive zinc alloys as well as EcoZen, a low-carbon zinc product. Tata Steel and Silox India are among its early customers.
Copper is another crucial material for electrification. EVs require three to four times more copper than conventional vehicles, driving demand for the metal across motors, cables, conductors and electrical systems.
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.”
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