suistainbility-left

Media Contact

Ms. Maitreyee Sankhla

Interim – Head Corporate Communications
HZLcorpcomm@vedanta.co.in

8th February 2021

Hindustan Zinc Leads the Way for Reducing Carbon Emission in Underground Mining

– Hindustan Zinc & Epiroc Rock Drills AB sign an MoU for Zero Emission and Sustainable Mining by introduction of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) in underground mining

– Hindustan Zinc will become the first mining company in India to introduce electric vehicles in UG mines

Udaipur, 8th February 2021: A pioneer in adopting innovative solutions and smart technologies for responsible mining, Hindustan Zinc sets a new benchmark as the company leads the way for introduction of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) in underground mining.

Taking a step closer to achieving carbon neutrality, Hindustan Zinc signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Epiroc for ‘Zero Emission and Sustainable Mining by introduction of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) in underground mining’. This will help HZL to explore the possibility of introducing battery operated vehicles in underground mines which will help reduce carbon emissions, enabling the mine operations to become more environment friendly.

Industrial activities around the globe are fast moving towards building sustainable partnerships that bring efficiency and expertise to business. It’s imperative for any partnership to share same values to be successful, and both Hindustan Zinc as well as Epiroc India share the values of safety, sustainability, innovation and technology in running operations.

Commenting on the MoU, Mr Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc said, “At Hindustan Zinc, we are committed to Smart, Safe and Sustainable operations and we believe that as a leader it is incumbent on us to be catalysts for transformation towards adopting sustainability driven business solutions. This partnership with Epiroc fortifies our commitment to green and responsible mining and takes us furthers in the right direction to achieve carbon neutrality, in line with our emission reduction Sustainability Development Goal for 2025.”

Mr Jerry Andersson, Managing Director, Epiroc India added, A safer and cleaner mining starts only if someone takes the first step. Epiroc has always been a leader in mining technologies. We showcase the BEV in underground mining with the broadest offerings and a mission to deliver the world’s greenest machines. Our memorandum with Hindustan Zinc is a step on our mutual journey for a safer and more sustainable mining operation to come.”

The future is electric, and technologies such as these will be at the forefront of smart operations. This partnership will in future allow a fleet of highly efficient electric powered equipment that at one end will reduce carbon emission by replacing diesel-fuelled equipment and on the other hand will increase productivity with its evolved design.

Sustainability across operations is part of the core business philosophy at Hindustan Zinc. As a COP26 business leader, the company has been consistently working towards achieving science-based targets (SBT) to curb carbon footprint. It is part of the prestigious CDP “A List” for all its initiatives towards tackling climate change and is also ranked 1st in Asia Pacific & 7th Globally by The Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2020.

About Hindustan Zinc Limited

Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group company in Zinc-Lead and Silver business is world’s 2nd largest integrated Zinc producer and 5th largest Silver producer. The company governs about ~80% of the growing Zinc market in India with its headquarters at Udaipur along with Zinc-Lead mines and smelting complexes spread across the state of Rajasthan.

Hindustan Zinc is self-sufficient in power with captive thermal power plants and has ventured into green energy by setting-up wind power plants. The company ranked highest in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment in 2023 amongst Metals & Mining companies reflecting & reaffirming its constant commitment towards sustainable and responsible mining practices. Hindustan Zinc is a certified Water Positive company and is the only Indian company to be recognized at the S&P Global Platts Metal Award 2022 winning two prestigious awards for ‘Industry Leadership Award – Base, Precious & Specialty Metals’ Award and ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ Award. Hindustan Zinc is also the only Indian company in Mining sector with validated & approved SBTi targets in alignment with 1.5 °C target.

The company takes pride in having some of the best-in-class people practices and employee-centric initiatives, which have certified Hindustan Zinc as – ‘Great Place to Work 2023’, ‘Company with Great Managers 2022’ by People Business and the ‘People-first HR Excellence Award’.

As a socially responsible corporate, Hindustan Zinc has been relentlessly working towards transforming lives of 1.7 million people in 237 villages in the states of Rajasthan and Uttarakhand with a spend base of INR 276.3 crores in FY23 for various community development initiatives and is amongst the Top 10 CSR Companies in India.

Learn more about Hindustan Zinc on - https://www.hzlindia.com/home/ and follow us on LinkedInTwitterFacebook, and Instagram for more updates.