Vedanta Aluminium wins multiple accolades for environment and energy excellence
2nd July 2024
- Vedanta Aluminium’s refinery in Lanjigarh has won the Kalinga Environment Excellence Award and the Kalinga Energy Excellence Award
New Delhi, July 2, 2024 – Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has won the prestigious Kalinga Energy Excellence Award and Kalinga Environment Excellence Award for its alumina refinery unit at Lanjigarh, Kalahandi district. These awards were presented by the Institute of Quality and Environment Management (IQEMS) in association with the Odisha State Pollution Control Board and the Institute of Public Enterprise, Hyderabad.
Vedanta’s Lanjigarh unit, India’s premier producer of smelter-grade alumina, has undertaken multiple initiatives as part of Vedanta Aluminium’s sustainability goals such as Net Zero Carbon by 2050, Net Water Positivity by 2030, effective waste management, biodiversity restoration and adoption of energy-efficient technologies across operations. The company’s sustainability initiatives have been acknowledged at the highest forums with Vedanta Aluminium scored top at the S&P Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) rankings for the assessment period 2023.
Commenting on the achievement, John Slaven, CEO, Vedanta Aluminium, said, “Our success in energy efficiency and environmental conservation, driven by our commitment to sustainable operations, is reflected in our numerous accolades. Balancing increased operational efficiency with a sustainable value chain is a top priority in our decision-making process. These achievements underscore our relentless pursuit of excellence through a sustainable business model, bolstering the transformational journey of Vedanta Aluminium.”
Vedanta’s focus on meeting the growing needs of the nation is also closely aligned with the needs of the planet. The company is contributing to the sustainable transformation of the industry through initiatives such as increasing the usage of renewable sources of energy such as use of biomass in boiler cofiring, deploying lithium-ion electric forklifts and incentivizing employees to use electric vehicles. These efforts have resulted in significant reduction in overall greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions intensity by ~9.3% in FY24 compared to the FY21 baseline, while increasing production by ~20%.
By leveraging water reutilization and fostering a water-positive footprint through collaborative efforts with local communities and constant water-level monitoring, Vedanta Aluminium has recycled over 15 billion litres of water across operations during FY24. Also, the company has conducted systematic assessments and identified sensitive habitats and biodiversity hotspots near its plants. Recently, the company signed an MoU for implementation of nature-based solutions for biodiversity conservation and climate resilience around its operations.
Vedanta Aluminium also ensures gainful utilization of bauxite residue (a by-product of the alumina refining process) as well as fly ash (a by-product of power generation process). Bauxite residue is used for activities such as road construction around operational areas, soil consolidation in wick drain development by combining it with fly ash and supplying it as raw material to the cement industry, resulting in the utilization of more than 1,00,000 metric tonnes of red mud so far. Gainful utilization of fly ash is ensured through its supply to National Highway Authority of India for construction of roadways and to brick manufacturing units run by local communities, thereby supplementing income of the villagers. These initiatives have resulted in more than 200% utilization of waste in FY23.
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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This press release contains “forward-looking statements” – that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “should” or “will.” Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets including the London Metal Exchange, fluctuations in interest and or exchange rates and metal prices; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional, and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.
