Zinc bateries to be Hindustan Zinc’s strategic focus

At an annual general meeting (AGM) in July, Indian minerals mining giant Hindustan Zinc revealed its new strategy for the financial year ahead. The company is the world’s second largest integrated producer of zinc, and it is planning to lean into its market advantage to bring value to its shareholders by exploring new zinc applications in batteries.

India has huge domestic reserves of zinc, but lithium – commonly used in battery energy storage system – is less available and often must be imported into the country. At the AGM, Hindustan Zinc CEO Arun Misra said zinc was a better, safer, and cheaper alternative to lithium.

“While lithium batteries are currently in focus, lack of domestic availability of lithium and safety of lithium batteries are key challenges for the global energy transition. Zinc presents a safe, stable and credible opportunity to replace lithium in batteries.”

Misra added that Hindustan Zinc has already taken steps to advance its zinc focus through volume enhancement and reduction in cost of production as well as its “proposed partnership” with U.S.-based zinc battery technology maker Aesir Tech.

“In addition, we are also exploring research avenues in battery technology with premier academic institutions in India,” added Misra. “Hindustan Zinc with its vast domestic zinc reserves, is well poised to accelerate India’s mission to a cleaner tomorrow and our Zinc battery initiative will also help in saving exchequer’s funds due to zinc’s abundance in the country.”

As well as zinc, the company produces lead and silver. From its headquarters in Udaipur, India, it supplies more than 40 countries and holds a market share of about 75% of the primary zinc market in India.

Its tactical decision to focus on zinc for battery development is financially prudent, but it is also reflective of a portion of the energy industry that favors zinc’s potential over lithium.

Misra is not the only businessperson to sing zinc’s praises. Swedish zinc-ion manufacturer Enerpoly is a much smaller company but as its CEO, Eloisa de Castro, recently explained in an interview with ESS News, zinc batteries can be safe, and sustainably produced, and cost-effective. She also claimed that in a European context, there is greater than 200 times more mining capacity for zinc than there is for lithium.

There is also the Zinc Battery Initiative, a global organization which lobbies for the overlooked mineral.