Hindustan Zinc to Explore Green Hydrogen for Underground Mining

New Delhi: Vedanta group firm Hindustan Zinc Ltd on Monday announced its collaboration with Advantek Associates LLP and Aero Eagle Automobiles Pvt Ltd to evaluate green hydrogen and alternative clean-energy solutions across its operations.

The collaboration will explore adoption of innovative technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions and enabling a transition to low-carbon, future-ready mining.

"Through this MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), Hindustan Zinc is set to pioneer the use of hydrogen fuel for underground mining applications, positioning it to become the only company to deploy this technology in such environments," the company said in a filing to BSE.

The collaboration is part of the company's larger strategy to build future-ready, low-carbon and technology-led mining operations, aligned with its commitment to become Net Zero by 2050 or sooner.

As mining and heavy industry continue to be among the most difficult sectors to decarbonise, clean fuel technologies such as hydrogen are emerging as important pathways for reducing emissions in high-capacity, energy-intensive and hard-to-electrify applications.

Through this MoU, Hindustan Zinc aims to evaluate hydrogen-based technologies that can support its long-term decarbonisation roadmap while strengthening operational efficiency and sustainable value creation.

The partnership will focus on conducting comprehensive feasibility assessments for hydrogen-based technologies, including green hydrogen generation, storage, dispensing infrastructure, and hydrogen-powered equipment.

It will also evaluate the potential use of Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H2-ICE) and fuel cell technologies across mining and industrial applications. A key area of exploration will be the use of hydrogen fuel solutions in underground mining environments, positioning Hindustan Zinc among the early movers in India's mining sector to assess such applications.