Acquisition to drive India’s self-sufficiency in Nickel and Cobalt – metals critical for transition to aGreen economy
Mumbai/Delhi : Vedanta, one of the world’s largest natural resources conglomerates has acquired Nicomet, a leading Nickel and Cobaltproducerbased in Goa. With this acquisition, Vedanta has become India’s sole producer of Nickel. The move is a significant step in Vedanta’s mission towards making India self-reliant in key critical minerals.
The acquisition of Nicometis in line with Vedanta’s ESG missionand is a big step towards supporting India’s carbon neutrality goals.

Nickel, a strategic mineral, is a vital input in the manufacturing of stainless steel and batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). Similarly, Cobalt is a key element for lithium-ion battery for EVs, Energy Storage Systems and has other useslike superalloy for steelmaking. Both Nickel and Cobalt are regarded as the minerals of the future which will play a leading role in transition to renewable and cleaner energy.
In recent years, the value of India’s Nickel and Cobalt imports has been growing steadily. With Vedanta’s foray into production of these critical minerals, India will be in a better position to manufacture EV batteries, the main component for EV vehiclesand support production of high-quality steel products, a key building block for Infrastructure growth.
Certified with ISO 9001 for quality and with strong R&D focus, Nicomethas emerged as a certified producer of high-quality battery grade Nickel Sulphate Crystals used for manufacturing of batteries of electric vehicles globally.India’s demand for nickel is currently pegged at 45 KTPA which is entirely met through imports.At present, Nicomet’s plant has a capacity to produce 7.5 KTPA Nickel & Cobalt. With an ambitious growth plan in place, Vedanta is well poised to meet 50% of the country’s total Nickel demand.
Nicomet marks a major strategic acquisition for Vedanta and is expected tostrengthenits portfolio of Iron and Steel business.
Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal said “We are excited about Vedanta’s foray into nickel and cobalt production which will play a critical role in supporting Govt’s mission for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Nickel and Cobalt are a metal of great strategic importance, especially for our transition towards clean energy and electric mobility. Currently, India imports 100% of its Nickel requirements; our focus will be to boost domestic production that would fuel India’s transition to a Net Zero economy.
The acquisition comes at a time when the nickel market is tightening with a surge in battery demand and an increase in global stainless-steel production in recent years, a trend that is expected to continue into 2022.