Hindustan Zinc gets licence to explore, mine tungsten block in Andhra

Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL) on Saturday said it has received the licence to explore and mine a tungsten block in Andhra Pradesh by the state government.

This marks an important milestone for the Vedanta Group company as it looks to expand beyond zinc, lead, and silver into critical and high-value minerals essential for advanced manufacturing.

"Hindustan Zinc Ltd has been officially announced as the successful bidder for a tungsten and associated mineral block in Andhra Pradesh, following the receipt of the formal composite licence from the state government," the company said in a statement.

A composite licence in mining is a single, two-stage concession that grants both the right to explore for minerals and the right to mine them if the exploration is successful.

Earlier this year, the company had been declared the preferred bidder through a competitive auction process conducted by the Centre.

"This milestone marks another step forward in Hindustan Zinc's journey of expanding its mineral footprint and contributing to the nation's self-reliance in critical and strategic minerals," company's CEO Arun Misra said.

HZL is the world's largest integrated zinc producer and is amongst the top five silver producers globally. The company supplies to more than 40 countries and holds a market share of about 77 per cent of the primary zinc market in India.