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Operational Performance – Smelters and Captive Power Plants

A resilient framework for sustained production excellence

DIVERSE SMELTING TECHNOLOGIES FOR QUALITY EXCELLENCE

Our smelters use advanced technologies and modern tools to produce high-quality zinc, lead, and silver from captive mine concentrates (zinc and lead), which are supported by an in-house power supply. Circularity is ensured by selling or captively consuming by-products produced during the smelting process.

PERFORMANCE SNAPSHOT

Smelter production

827 kt

Zinc ( 1% YoY)

225 kt

Lead ( 4% YoY)

687 kt

Silver ( 8% YoY)

CPP power generation*

71.59 MU

Solar power ( 3% YoY)

367.66 MU

Wind power ( 10% YoY)

4,033.33 MU

Captive thermal power ( 1% YoY)

228.08 MU

Waste heat recovery boiler ( 7% YoY)

*Gross production

How our process excellence results in high-quality products
Hydrometallurgy for Zinc Production
  • 99.99% pure zinc: Hindustan Zinc Diecasting Alloy (HZDA), Continuous Galvanising Grade (CGG), 1-tonne jumbo
  • High-grade zinc (99.95% purity)
  • Sulphuric acid as a by-product
Pyrometallurgy for Zinc and Lead Production
  • 98.65% purity Prime Western (PW) zinc
  • 99.995% purity Special High Grade (SHG) zinc
  • 99.99% purity Lead
  • High-grade metal with 25-30% silver, refined further to 99.99% pure silver
Top Submerged Lance Technology (Ausmelt Plant) for Lead Production
  • Lead bullion with over 96.5% lead content, further refined to produce 99.99% pure lead
Shuikoushan (SKS) technology for Lead Production
  • 99.99% pure lead
  • Refinery mud containing 25-27% silver, further refined to 99.99% pure silver
SUSTAINED, LOW-COST OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Hindustan Zinc is among the world’s most efficient and sustainable metal producers. Driven by our focused initiatives to advance these areas, we continue to set new benchmarks. In FY2025, we have achieved the highest-ever smelter production of 1,052 ktpa at a 4-year lowest cost, swiftly gearing towards 1.1 Mtpa refined production in FY2026.

How our process efficiency drives effective results
01
Enhancing Operational Efficiency
MEASURES UNDERTAKEN

Production of additional metal and silver from jarosite in the fumer

Enhanced feed rates and ensured time-bound annual maintenance shutdown (reduced duration by 22% to 16.83 days from previous record of 21.5 days) at Dariba Lead plant

Major overhauling in SKS Furnace

Oxygen enrichment in Roaster 3, in addition to Roaster 4 and Roaster 5

Maintained process parameters such as cathode efficiency, ZnSO4 purity, cell health, etc., at Dariba Zinc Plant

IMPACT ACHIEVED

Additional production 3 kt of metal and 6 MT of silver

Increased production from 180 MT/day to 210 MT/day

Enhancement in throughput from 27.5 TPH to 29.5 TPH

Targeted throughput of 40 TPH

Enhancement in current efficiency from 91.47% to 92.02% and production increment from 709 MT/day to 715 MT/day

02
Achieving cost reduction and optimisation
MEASURES UNDERTAKEN
  • Measures/techniques to minimise shutdown costs, resulting in cost savings of ₹ 13 crore
  • Achieved higher acid sales realisation, resulting in a gain of ₹ 1,077 per tonne of acid
  • Optimised consumables costs by reducing the consumption norms of major consumables (including soda ash, sodium sulphate, lime, etc.) through closed-loop feeding, resulting in savings of ₹ 75 crore
  • Scrap and residue sales and other income led to overall savings of ₹ 257 crore
  • Reduced generation costs in all CPPs with up to 44% indigenous coal consumption, alongside selling power on Indian Energy Exchange (IEX), which improved realisations by ₹ 160 crore
US$ 65 per tonne

(better 6% YoY) Overall reduction in the cost of production achieved through cost reduction efforts

ADVANCING A CLEANER, GREENER, NET-ZERO TOMORROW

We are deploying pioneering efforts at our smelters to scale sustainability performance and progress towards our net-zero ambition. A catalyst for innovation and operational excellence, these efforts drive long-term value creation and make our operations more resilient.

FOCUSED ON SAFETY EXCELLENCE

Safety is paramount at Hindustan Zinc, as we continuously pursue a zero-harm goal as a leading player. Through ongoing focus on safety at our smelters and CPPs, we enhance the work environment and protect people, our most valuable asset. This includes proactively identifying and addressing potential risks and implementing pioneering efforts. People-led safety is often the most effective, and so by equipping our workforce with the right knowledge and tools, we improve safety outcomes.

Some of the critical safety initiatives undertaken at smelters and CPPs in FY2025 include:
  • Stopping the Kunz crane movement at Dariba Smelting Complex (DSC) with an alarm by using an AI-based camera to detect human movement in its pathway
  • Installation of a hygiene bag filter at Roaster 5 feed gate for eliminating dust and gas emissions
  • Interlocking of beacon light and danger zone light with engine on/off in all forklifts for accurate real-time alerts at Zinc Smelter Debari (ZSD)
  • Gantry crane arrangement for safe shifting of panels at the Debari Roaster
  • Installed an interlock and connected it to a hooter on the chlorine tonner at ZSD for safer operations
ALIGNED SMELTERS WITH CLIMATE GOALS
WATER CONSERVATION

Internal recycling system implemented by integration of ZLD, ETP, RO, MEE, and MVR technologies

31,300 KLD water saving capacity

CLEAN ENERGY ADOPTION

Significantly increased the consumption of renewable energy for smelting operations, with the commencement of power supply from Serentica

Utilised 809 million units of renewable energy for smelting operations in FY2025

SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY

Inducted 180 liquified natural gas vehicles and 10 electric vehicles for inter-unit and finished goods movement

1,066 tCO2e GHG emission savings in FY2025

PROCESS INNOVATION

Integrated fumer unit to process jarosite residues in the Hydrometallurgy plant

c.39,700 MT reduction in jarosite production in FY2025 through fumer operation

TECH-POWERED TRANSFORMATION

We are driving innovation and investing in high-end technologies to revolutionise our smelter business and scale productivity and efficiencies to the next level. These efforts have resulted in a more data-driven organisation with real-time analytics capabilities, bringing more flexibility and resilience to operations.

Some of the key technologies deployed at smelters include:
AI-driven predictive maintenance

Deployed Sinter Machine Health Monitoring project, involving the use of high-resolution cameras and AI for failure prediction and performance optimisation.

Impact
15%

increase in output

Thermal imaging-based hot/cold spot detection

Deployed AI-based thermal imaging cameras to monitor hot/cold spots for prompt detection and resolution, resulting in improvement in current efficiency and significant reduction in energy consumption.

Impact
Increase

in energy efficiency, cutting energy costs

Smarter, connected processes

Integrated 1,175 Internet of Things (IoT) based sensors with critical equipment, reducing downtime and improving reliability. Using AI/ML-powered closed-loop systems for high-value consumables like Zinc dust and Lime has further optimised usage and cut costs.

Impact
₹ 20 crore

worth cost savings

Computer vision for safety

Computer vision is used in the lead refinery to monitor ladle operation and interlocking with the electric overhead travelling (EOT).

Impact
Zero

safety incidents

Digital governance

Achieved 100% auto booking in SAP for all the products.

Impact
Improved

governance and operational discipline

AI-powered quality and safety

Deployed Finished Goods Surface Quality Monitoring system for real-time defect identification using advanced algorithms, alongside AI-based man-machine interaction systems.

Impact
Consistent

standards, improved safety and operational efficiency