Vedanta Aluminium & Dalmia Cement partner for manufacturing low-carbon cement

13th March 2023

Bhubaneswar, Odisha; 13th March 2023: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has entered into a long-term partnership with Dalmia Cement for supply of industrial wastes such as fly ash and spent pot lining for manufacturing low carbon cement. Under this partnership, Vedanta’s mega aluminium smelter at Jharsuguda will transport around 20 rakes of fly ash per month for 5 years to Dalmia Cement’s manufacturing units in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, and Assam, and supply SPL for 3 years to the company’s plant at Rajgangpur, Odisha. Vedanta Aluminium is a preferred supplier of high-quality fly ash to some of India’s leading cement producers, fostering industrial collaboration for production of low-carbon cement.

Fly ash is a high-volume by-product of thermal power generation using coal that caters to the electricity requirements of Vedanta’s aluminium smelters at Jharsuguda. Fly ash is a sought-after raw material in the cement industry, owing to its inherent cementitious properties which can be leveraged by cement makers to improve product quality, conserve energy, water and other valuable resources, and reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. Further, being a voluminous industrial waste product, fly ash comes with significant cost and energy advantages as well. In cement manufacturing, every tonne of fly-ash used can help save around 700-800 kg of carbon emissions, 4.2 million KJ of energy, and 341 litres of water.

Similarly, SPL is generated during the de-lining process of electrolytic pots (where alumina is converted into aluminium). It can be co-processed in cement plants as raw material, a source of energy, or to replace natural mineral resources (material recycling) and fossil fuel such as coal, petroleum, and gas (energy recovery) in industrial processes. In cement plants, this yields significant environmental benefits in terms of reducing emissions, fuel consumption, and dependency on natural mineral resources.

Speaking about the partnership with Dalmia Cement, Mr. Sunil Gupta, CEO – Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda said, “In our pursuit of promoting circular utilisation of industrial wastes & by-products, Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda is proud to partner with Dalmia Cement for effective management of industrial waste streams. Given the nature of the industry, a large-scale aluminium producer like Vedanta is a long-term reliable circular-economy partner for the cement industry. Strategic collaborations such as this will provide multiple benefits in terms of enhanced quality, sustainability and cost benefits to cement manufacturing, while helping us in gainful waste management. Our waste-to-wealth initiatives are designed to develop thriving value-chains for converting our by-products into resources for complementary industries and is a significant step forward in our journey towards becoming a leader in sustainable development.”

The spokesperson for Dalmia Cement said, “Dalmia Cement is one of India’s pioneering homegrown cement companies. As a prominent Indian cement manufacturer and thought leader, Dalmia Cement continues to aspire to enhance value in a sustainable way for all its stakeholders. Our partnership with Vedanta Aluminium demonstrates the commitment of both the companies towards supporting the sustainability agenda of both the cement and aluminium industry. We are delighted to partner with Vedanta in this initiative which will contribute towards our climate action targets.”

The company has also entered a long-term partnership with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for building greener roads with fly-ash in Odisha. To identify innovative ways of utilizing this industrial by-product, Vedanta Aluminium also conducts technical & business workshops with global waste utilization experts to create greater awareness on the benefits of using fly-ash in cement construction and develop the market for such products. The company also fosters hundreds of rural microentrepreneurs in the manufacturing of fly ash bricks by providing them with fly ash and technological know-how in manufacturing the bricks.

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.27 million tonnes in FY22. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2nd in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2022 world rankings for aluminium industry, a reflection of its sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.

About Vedanta Limited:

Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa and Namibia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Vedanta has put in place a comprehensive framework to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector. Vedanta is committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner and has pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate the transition to net zero operations. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company’s flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars, have been set up as model anganwadis focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s social initiatives, the Vedanta group has pledged Rs 5000 crore over the next five years on social impact programmes with a thrust on nutrition, women & child development, healthcare, animal welfare, and grass-root level sports. Vedanta and the group companies have been featured in Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and was conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020, Golden Peacock Award for excellence in Corporate Governance 2022 and certified as a Great Place to Work 2022. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.

For more information, please visit www.vedantalimited.com

About Vedanta Aluminium Business:

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.37 million tonnes in FY24. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.

For more information, please log on to www.vedantaaluminium.com

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