Hindustan Zinc turns into a net debt firm for first time in 20 years

HZL was sitting on cash and equivalents worth Rs 20,665 crore at the end of FY22

The improvement in the balance sheet of Vedanta Resources, the holding company of Vedanta Group, seems to be happening at the expense of its key operating firms such as Hindustan Zinc (HZL).

HZL has turned from a debt-free company to an indebted one (on a net basis) in FY23 for the first time in more than 20 years. The metal producer gave all its accumulated cash reserves through a special dividend last financial year and was forced to borrow additionally to fund its capex plans.

The country’s top zinc and silver producer ended FY23 with a net debt of Rs