Vedanta Aluminium shines at the Perform, Achieve & Trade (PAT) Cycle-II scheme by the Ministry of Power, Govt. of India

27th September 2021

  • BALCO receives highest Energy Saving Certificates (ESCerts) among Aluminium Smelters, followed by Vedanta Jharsuguda
  • Vedanta Lanjigarh bags highest ESCerts among Alumina Refineries in India

New Delhi, 27th September 2021: Vedanta Aluminium Business, India’s largest producer of the aluminium and value-added products, has bagged top spots at Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) Cycle-II among the Indian Aluminium Industry. Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme is a regulatory instrument deployed by the Ministry of Power, Government of India, to reduce specific energy consumption in energy intensive industries with an associated market-based mechanism to enhance cost effectiveness through certification of excess energy savings, which can be traded.

Among Aluminium Smelters in India, Vedanta’s subsidiary Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) secured the coveted top spot with the highest Energy Saving Certificates, followed by Vedanta Jharsuguda’s Smelter I. Vedanta’s Alumina Refinery at Lanjigarh, ranked highest among peer alumina producers. An alumina refinery is a plant where bauxite is refined into aluminium oxide or alumina, and an aluminium smelter is a plant where aluminium is produced from alumina. These achievements bear testimony to Vedanta Aluminium’s robust endeavours towards energy conservation for business and environment sustainability.

Speaking about Vedanta’s energy stewardship, Mr. Rahul Sharma, CEO – Vedanta Aluminium Business, said, “Being India’s largest aluminium producer, our aim at Vedanta Aluminium is to be the best in all facets of business, including Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) sustainability. Maximising energy conservation and minimising carbon footprint are two key pillars of our sustainable business development agenda. A three-pronged strategy of ensuring judicious resource usage, energy-efficient operations, and renewable energy sourcing, helps us further our energy sustainability and climate action goals. Towards this, we have adopted global best-practises in energy and resource management, and deployed cutting-edge solutions to reduce our carbon footprint.”

Energy management is at the heart of Vedanta Aluminium’s climate action roadmap, and finds realization through dedicated efforts towards attaining highest operational efficiency of assets and processes. These include impactful initiatives for optimisation of specific energy consumption in production processes and a long-term focus on migrating to low carbon energy mix.

Mr. Prafulla Behera, Site In-Charge of IGSEC Heavy Engineering Limited, which is the Operations & Maintenance partner for Power Plant at Lanjigarh, adds, “With our engineering and domain expertise, we have been working with Vedanta on their energy efficiency and energy sustainability targets. We are proud to be playing a crucial role in Vedanta’s journey towards being a forerunner in the field of energy conservation and ensuring maximum energy optimization at its world-class refinery operations.”

Vedanta’s Alumina Refinery, Aluminium Smelters and Power Plants have been forerunners in the realm of energy management, among the Indian manufacturing sectors. Few notable initiatives and highlights:

  • Vedanta Aluminium was India’s largest green power purchaser in Q1FY22, having procured 354 million units of solar and non-solar renewable energy for its aluminium smelter at Jharsuguda.
  • Vedanta Aluminium Business has significantly reduced its GHG emission intensity by 21% with 2012 as baseline, and aims to reduce it by 24% in 2025 over the same baseline.
  • Climate action initiatives across all Business Units have resulted in energy conservation of 1.4 million GJ and GHG savings of 0.32 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in FY 20-21.
  • Vedanta’s aluminium smelter at Jharsuguda is India’s first, and the world’s third smelter to deploy Digital Smelter Solution, which uses digital twin technology, predictive and prescriptive analytics to enhance energy efficiency.
  • The Jharsuguda smelter is also the amongst the first few aluminium smelters in Asia to receive ISO 50001 certificate for Energy Management System.
  • BALCO Vedanta’s subsidiary at Chhattisgarh, achieved lowest specific power consumption in its Potline-I in 2020, which is among the best in India and the Gulf countries. A potline is a long building, or collection of buildings, located in a smelter and contains a series of ‘pots’, or large electrolytic cells, in which aluminium smelting is carried out.
  • Vedanta Lanjigarh’s specific energy consumption has reduced by over 23% over the last five years, making it one of the most energy efficient refineries in the country.
  • Vedanta’s ‘Carbon Forum’ is actively working on guiding implementation of the company’s carbon mitigation approach.

Vedanta Aluminium Business, a division of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest manufacturer of aluminium, producing half of India’s aluminium i.e. 1.96 million tonnes in FY21. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. 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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