Vedanta Resources Reports Increased Metal Output Driven by Efficiency and Expansion

Vedanta Resources

Vedanta Resources, a prominent Indian mining firm, has announced increased production across several of its metal operations for the April-December 2024 period. The company attributes these gains to improved operational efficiencies and recent capacity additions.

Production Highlights

Vedanta's Lanjigarh refinery saw a 16% year-on-year surge in alumina production, reaching 1.54 million tonnes in April-December 2024, compared to 1.32 million tonnes during the same period in 2023.  Looking at the October-December quarter specifically, alumina output rose by 7% to 505,000 tonnes, up from 470,000 tonnes in the corresponding period the previous year. Market sources indicate that this growth is primarily attributable to enhanced operational efficiency.

Aluminium production also experienced a modest 3% year-on-year increase, reaching 1.81 million tonnes in April-December 2024, up from 1.77 million tonnes in the same period of 2023.  In the October-December 2024 quarter, aluminium output reached 614,000 tonnes, compared to 599,000 tonnes in the same period the previous year.

Combined refined zinc and lead production totaled 783,000 tonnes in April-December 2024, reflecting a 3% increase from the same period in 2023. This improvement is attributed to higher mined metal grades and increased mill capacity. However, production remained stable at 259,000 tonnes in the October-December 2024 quarter compared to the same period in 2023.

Ferro Alloys, a Vedanta subsidiary, reported a 15% year-on-year increase in chrome ore production, reaching 185,000 tonnes in April-December 2024, compared to 160,000 tonnes in the same period of 2023. Ferro-chrome production witnessed a more substantial 35% rise to 72,000 tonnes from 53,000 tonnes, following the commissioning of a new furnace, despite a shutdown in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, which began in April.

Conversely, copper cathode production at the Silvassa smelter experienced a 4% year-on-year decline, falling to 105,000 tonnes in April-December 2024, down from the same period the previous year.