Hindustan Zinc Limited, the world’s largest integrated zinc producer and one of the top ten global silver producers, added 32 million tonnes (Mnt) of gross ore Resources & Reserves (R&R) during FY26, strengthening its exploration pipeline and supporting its long-term growth plans.
During the financial year, the company completed 464.32 kilometres of exploration drilling, with more than 88% of drill holes intersecting mineralisation. The results highlight the continued contribution of exploration activities to Hindustan Zinc’s resource base.
The exploration progress comes as the company operates at record production levels. Hindustan Zinc reported its highest-ever mined metal production of 1.114 million tonnes in FY26.
The company’s ore reserves also increased by nearly 16% year-on-year, reaching a record 219.1 Mnt, compared with 189.1 Mnt in FY25. Its total Resources & Reserves rose to an all-time high of 468.6 Mnt.
According to the company, the expanded resource base provides visibility for more than 25 years of mine life and strengthens long-term raw material security as Hindustan Zinc plans its next phase of expansion.
For a mining business operating at scale, exploration is central not only to replacing the ore extracted each year but also to creating additional inventory for future growth. Hindustan Zinc’s sustained additions alongside record mining demonstrate the ability of its existing asset base to continue generating new resource potential. The company’s metal reserves stood at 13.9 Mnt at the end of FY26, the highest since its transition to underground mining.
Mr. Amarendu Prakash, CEO, Hindustan Zinc Limited, said, “A strong resource base is fundamental to building a mining business for the long term. As we scale towards HZL2.0, exploration is enabling us to simultaneously replenish what we mine, expand our reserve inventory and build greater confidence in the future potential of our assets. Adding 32 million tonnes of ore Resources & Reserves in a year of record mined metal production reinforces the quality and longevity of our asset base. We will continue to invest in technology-led exploration as we build the resource foundation for Hindustan Zinc’s next phase of growth and evolution into a multi-metal company.”
Hindustan Zinc’s exploration programme combines extensive drilling with advanced geophysical and geochemical techniques, three-dimensional geological modelling and data-led targeting to identify extensions of known mineralisation and uncover new resource potential. During FY26, 88.08% of the holes drilled intersected mineralisation, highlighting the effectiveness of the company’s exploration targeting across its mining portfolio.
As part of its long-term growth roadmap, the company is focused on significantly expanding its metal reserve inventory through accelerated exploration, resource-to-reserve conversion and deeper exploration across its mining portfolio, supporting the resource base required for its next phase of growth.
Beyond zinc, lead and silver, Hindustan Zinc is increasingly evaluating the broader mineral potential associated with its extensive ore bodies. The company’s exploration and resource development strategy forms part of its ambition to evolve from a predominantly zinc-lead-silver producer into a diversified multi-metal company, while strengthening domestic availability of metals critical to India’s manufacturing, infrastructure and energy-transition ambitions.
With one of the world’s largest zinc-lead resource bases, Hindustan Zinc’s exploration programme is increasingly becoming a strategic growth lever, securing the ore required for its next phase of capacity expansion while creating new opportunities from a mineral system that has been mined for decades. Separately, Hindustan Zinc is expanding its exploration footprint beyond its existing zinc-lead-silver operations through its subsidiary, Hindmetal Exploration Services, supporting the company’s broader ambition to build a diversified multi-metal portfolio.
