Hindustan Copper Plans ₹7,000 Crore Investment to Expand Copper and Critical Mineral Operations
Hindustan Copper Ltd. (HCL) is planning a capital investment of more than ₹7,000 crore (US$736.84 million) over the next 5–6 years to expand its mining operations, strengthen copper production and explore opportunities in critical minerals. The planned investment will focus on exploration, reopening previously closed mines and increasing production capacity, supporting India’s efforts to strengthen domestic mineral security.
Over the past three years, HCL has added 135.52 million tonnes of copper ore reserves and resources, taking its combined reserves and resources to 767.37 million tonnes. The company is also exploring new copper deposits in India and overseas while working to bring closed mines back into operation. HCL has entered into a technical cooperation agreement with Chile’s state-owned copper producer CODELCO covering mining, beneficiation, exploration, capacity building and knowledge sharing.
In India, the company has signed MoUs with RITES, Indian Oil Corporation, Coal India, Oil India and GAIL to support mining expansion and mineral security. HCL holds all operating mining leases for copper ore in India and has access to around 45% of the country’s copper ore reserves and resources.
As India’s only vertically integrated refined copper producer, HCL operates across the complete value chain, including mining, ore beneficiation, smelting, refining and copper rod extrusion. From a long-term perspective, rising copper demand from infrastructure, renewable energy, electric mobility and other clean-energy applications could support industry growth, while the scale and execution of HCL’s planned investments will remain key factors to monitor.