Vedanta BALCO greenifies its fuel mix with biomass for power generation
10th June 2022
Balconagar; 8th June, 2022: The Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), India’s iconic aluminium producer, and a subsidiary of Vedanta Aluminium Business, is greenifying its fuel mix for thermal power generation with biomass briquettes. The company is utilizing 40-50 tonnes of biomass briquettes per day and has plans to further increase the quantum of biomass consumption to reduce its reliance on fossil fuel. This initiative has the potential for decreasing BALCO’s GHG emissions by 4.3 lakh tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually, in a strong stride towards Vedanta Aluminium’s target of Net Zero Carbon by 2050.
Further, as these biomass briquettes are made from agricultural residue, as per the guidelines of Ministry of Power, Government of India, it also serves to curb burning of agricultural residue which has serious negative impact on the environment. With the added benefits of fostering circular economy, BALCO is also contributing towards increasing farmers’ income in the region as they get to sell their agro-waste profitably.
Speaking about the company’s endeavours towards carbon neutrality, Mr. Abhijit Pati, CEO & Director, BALCO, said, “BALCO is committed to be an active participant sustainable growth of Chhattisgarh and India at large. We are undertaking a multitude of initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint. Through such initiatives we aim to achieve the larger goal of creating a sustainable future for the generations to come and we are dedicatedly driving the Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) dimensions of sustainability for building a greener tomorrow.”
Appreciating the endeavors of BALCO, Mr. Pulkit Saxena, Director of Bhoomi Agro Produce Pvt. Ltd., which is supplying biomass briquettes to BALCO, said, “I would like to congratulate BALCO and its team members for their commendable efforts to use biomass briquettes for lowering coal usage. The use of such green fuels will have a positive impact on environment as well as to the agro-waste value chain, which includes small and marginal farmers. Such an initiative by a climate-conscious organization like BALCO will set an example for others too. We are proud to be their partners in this environment friendly initiative.”
Working towards its ESG goals, BALCO has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) Nagpur for using their green concrete solution for road construction inside the plant, as well as nearby areas. Striving to achieve the goal of 100% fly ash (a by-product of thermal power generation using coal) utilization, BALCO is also supplying conditioned fly ash through rakes to cement manufacturers. BALCO’s potline 1 is a benchmark amongst aluminium smelters in Indian and Gulf countries for its current efficiency and power consumption – a testimony to the company’s high operational efficiencies.
BALCO’s achievements in the year 2021 towards best energy management include topping the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) Cycle-II among the Indian Aluminium Industry. Its power plants have received CII ENCON Award 2021 in the field of best energy management and conservation. BALCO’s 1200 MW Power Plant was State Winner – Chhattisgarh (Large Scale Category) in the 14th edition of CII Energy Conservation (ENCON) Awards 2021. BALCO has been conferred with ‘Best Green Business Award’ and ‘Best Green Excellence Award’ by World CSR Congress this year.
Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) is India’s iconic aluminium producer. It is owned 49% by the Government of India and 51% by Vedanta Limited. BALCO is part of Vedanta’s Aluminium Business, a division of Vedanta Limited, which is India’s largest manufacturer of aluminium. BALCO operates a 0.57 million tonne per annum aluminium smelter in Korba, Chhattisgarh. It is also a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class smelter and power plants, the company fulfills 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., 2.29 million tonnes in FY23. 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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