Control over minerals is a new currency of global influence

In an email interview Priya Agarwal Hebbar, non-executive director, Vedanta and chairperson, Hindustan Zinc tells Himanshu Ojha how the group is aligning with India's energy transition. Edited excerpts

- Himanshu Ojha

How does Vedanta envision its role in shaping India's future in critical minerals?

The global demand for transition metals is expected to grow fourfold by 2030. According to government estimates, nearly 80% of India's min- eral resources remains unexplored. Our ambition is to be at the forefront of India's critical minerals journey. Under our Vedanta 2.0 strategy, we've aligned our portfolio with critical minerals, clean energy and future technologies. We already operate across nine of the 17 transi- tion metals, and our recent wins in India's first-ever critical minerals auctions, including graphite, vanadium, cobalt, manga- nese and tungsten, are helping us scale both exploration and processing capabilities. Today, critical minerals are our new gold. If we can harness them responsibly, innovate at scale and build with purpose, India won't just participate in the global energy transition but will lead it.

How does Vedanta and In- dia fit into the race for critical minerals and the competition between China, the US and Europe to secure minerals?

The World Bank has forecast a 500% surge in demand for critical minerals by 2050 to meet global clean-energy goals. This has accelerated a new wave of geopolitical focus on diversifying mineral supply chains away from overdependence on a single country. In this fast-evolving landscape, India is emerging as a natural partner and a powerful 'China-plus-one' strategy.

From electronics and telecommunications to defence and transportation, they are important to economic development, national security and all future technologies.