Vedanta Aluminium commits to green future, secures 1335 MW renewable energy deal – EQ Mag
The firm has started using biomass pellets and briquettes produced from agriculture residue.
Vedanta Aluminium has announced that it has signed long-term power delivery agreements in order to source 1335 MW of renewable energy to power its operations. The firm made the announcement on the occasion of Akshay Urja Diwas. The agreements will see Vedanta Aluminium use a mix of both solar and wind energy, which will together contribute to its operations across Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Through this, the firm will also be able to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The firm will be able to cut around 3.2 million tonnes of CO2 per year, which it said will be “significant” considering its decarbonisation efforts.
What is the Akshay Urja Diwas?
The Akshay Urja Diwas is a special initiative launched in 2004 by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Its aim is to push for the adoption of renewable energy sources through technological innovation and decentralised power production. The initiative focuses on adoption of various kinds of renewable energy forms, including solar, wind and biofuels.
The firm is also looking to use biofuels to run its operations. To fuel its operations, the firm has started using biomass pellets and briquettes produced from agriculture residue. Such biofuels use has been seen across its operations, including at BALCO (Chhattisgarh), Jharsuguda (Odisha) which is also the “home to one of the world’s largest aluminium smelters”, and Lanjigarh (Odisha). Vedanta Aluminium’s largest world-class alumina refinery is at Lanjigarh.
In the past two years, the firm has used 11.29 KT of biofuels which has caused a reduction of 16.07 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Decarbonising efforts
The firm, in its effort to focus on achieving Net Zero by 2050, said it is working on a three-pronged approach towards decarbonizing its operations. Vedanta Aluminium is increasing the quantum of renewable energy in its energy mix, along with boosting its operational efficiencies in order to reduce its energy consumption. It is also transitioning to low carbon, cleaner fuels and technologies.
The firm claims it is the first in India to offer low carbon, ‘green’ aluminium, branded Restora and Restora Ultra, for its global customer base. Many of these customers are focused on ensuring the sustainable provenance of their materials. In the financial year 2022, the firm was India’s largest industrial consumer of renewable energy. It procured nearly 3 billion units.
Recounting its several milestones, Vedanta Aluminium said it successfully conserved over 1.36 million gigajoules of energy in the last financial year. It also commissioned the country’s largest fleet of lithium-ion battery-powered EV forklifts which will lead to a “potential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 1,600 tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually”.
In the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2022 world rankings for aluminium industry, Vedanta Aluminium ranked second.
