After returning from the Chinese New Year holiday, Q4 reports from listed miners outside China have been released one after another recently. 2025 was a period of concentrated release of new capacity at mines outside China. What was the specific situation? What are the expectations for 2026? Let us analyze it by enterprise.

According to foreign media reports, Vedanta said on Friday (February 27) that, in the auction process organized by the Government of Odisha, the company had been declared the preferred bidder for the Karnapodikonda bauxite block. The Directorate of Mines and Geology of the Government of Odisha issued a “Notice Inviting Tender” on December 4, 2025, inviting parties to submit bids. Vedanta qualified in the initial bidding stage and participated in the online auction for the grant of the mining lease. The company received notice of the “Preferred Bidder Declaration” at 4:20 p.m. (Indian Standard Time) on February 27, 2026. The bauxite block was at the G2 exploration level, with a total area of 532.747 hectares.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Vedanta Limited was declared the preferred bidder for the Karnapodikonda bauxite block in Odisha on February 27, 2026, following a competitive e-auction by the state government. The block spans 532.747 hectares (at G2 exploration level) and supports backward integration for Vedanta's aluminium business by securing long-term bauxite supplies for its operations (e.g., Lanjigarh refinery and Jharsuguda smelter). The 'Declaration of Preferred Bidder' notification was received at 4:20 pm IST. The auction followed a tender invited on December 4, 2025.

【SMM News Flash】CopperTech Metals announced a strategic partnership with Axiom Group, VBKOM, and Fleet Space Technologies on Wednesday to apply next-generation geoscientific technologies in the exploration of the Konkola copper mine.KCM (Konkola Copper Mines Plc), a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources established in 2025 under CopperTech, is responsible for the operation of the Konkola mine.The Konkola mine is considered one of the world's highest-grade copper ore assets, with proven ore grades ranging from 2.9% to 3.3% and total copper reserves/resources of approximately 16 million mt.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Vedanta Aluminium has scaled up billet production at its Jharsuguda facility (Odisha, India), the world's largest aluminum plant—to 830 KTPA by commissioning an additional 250 KTPA (on existing 580 KTPA). This positions it among the world's largest billet producers, enhancing value-added supply for domestic and global customers. Billets (5–12 inch diameters) feed extrusion for infrastructure, transport, renewables, electrical, consumer goods, and packaging. The company also added new 120 KTPA Primary Foundry Alloy (PFA) facility.

【SMM Aluminium Flash News】According to foreign media reports, Vedanta has announced an investment of over 125 billion rupees to strengthen its metal manufacturing capabilities. This strategic initiative aims to strengthen the domestic supply of key materials necessary for electric vehicle production, meet the needs of India's rapidly growing electric vehicle (EV) industry, and contribute to India's vision of sustainable and clean mobility. The investment involves projects such as expanding aluminum smelting operations, increasing the value-added of aluminum products, building a new zinc alloy plant, installing a zinc roaster, and expanding ferrochrome production capacity. Each initiative is designed to meet the specific material needs of electric vehicle manufacturers. Vedanta supplies key casting alloys for wheels, engine blocks, and cylinder heads, and also produces aluminum billets for battery housings, HVAC systems, and vehicle frames.

[Vedanta to Divest ₹7,500 Crore Stake in Hindustan Zinc via Block Deals] On June 17, sources told CNBC Awaaz that Vedanta Ltd, the promoter of Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL), plans to divest up to ₹7,500 crore (approx. $900 million) worth of shares in the company through block deals. The share sale is expected to be offered at a discount of up to 10% to the last closing price. DAM Capital and Citi are reportedly acting as brokers for the transaction, which may be executed imminently. Shares of Hindustan Zinc fell 5.26% on Tuesday to ₹485.95 on the NSE, down ₹27 from the previous session. The drop followed HZL’s announcement earlier in the day that its Board had approved a ₹12,000 crore (~$1.44 billion) capacity expansion plan to add 250 ktpa of refined metal capacity along with corresponding increases in mining and milling. Meanwhile, Vedanta shareholders are watching closely as the company’s board is set to consider its first interim dividend for FY2025 during Wednesday’s session. In FY2024, Vedanta paid a total dividend of ₹43.5 per share, amounting to over ₹17,000 crore in payouts.

[Odisha Clears ₹1.28-Lakh-Crore Vedanta Aluminium Project] On 16 June 2025, Odisha’s High-Level Clearance Authority approved eight large-scale investments totalling ₹1.51 trn. The flagship proposal is Vedanta Ltd’s ₹1.28 trn plan for a 3 Mt / yr aluminium smelter and a 4,900 MW captive power plant in Dhenkanal, forecast to create 30,000 jobs and significantly expand India’s primary-aluminium supply.

In recent years, zinc prices have fluctuated largely around the supply-demand imbalance between mining and smelting. With a significant increase in zinc concentrate supply expected for this year, prices may face downward pressure as we expected at the beginning of this year. This is the first report of two, which reviews Q1 production data from major overseas zinc mines from the EMEA region, which covers Europe, Middle East and Africa.

According to SMM, to meet the demands of industrial and energy transformation, India's domestic copper demand is expected to double by 2030. Companies in India's copper industry include Hindalco Industries, Vedanta, Adani, and the state-owned Hindustan Copper. It is estimated that India's copper cathode production is approximately 555,000 mt, and the country imports around 500,000 mt of copper annually to bridge the supply gap. Since the closure of Vedanta's Sterlite copper smelter in India in 2018, imports have surged. However, in December last year, the Indian government stated that the capacity expansion of Adani's smelter would meet India's domestic demand and reduce imports. It is expected to commence operations within the next four weeks. Japan accounts for approximately two-thirds of India's copper cathode imports, followed by Tanzania and Mozambique.