Vedanta Jharsuguda supplies first rake consignment of fly-ash to cement industry
5th April 2022
Jharsuguda, Odisha; 5th April 2022: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, dispatched its first rake consignment of 4,000 tonnes of fly-ash from Jharsuguda plant to one of the plants of Holcim India – ACC Cement, Chaibasa Cement Works, for the production of low-carbon cement. This initiative is a part of Vedanta Jharsuguda’s waste-to-wealth imperatives and ensures gainful utilization of an industrial by-product such as fly-ash in circular economy avenues.
Fly-ash is a by-product of thermal power generation using coal, which caters to electricity requirement of Vedanta’s aluminium smelters at Jharsuguda. The inherent properties of fly-ash can be utilised for improving product quality, conserving energy, water and other valuable resources, and reducing the industry’s carbon footprint. Further, being a voluminous industrial waste, 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. To find out innovative ways of utilizing this industrial by product, the company also conducts various nationwide workshops with global experts to create greater awareness on the benefits of using fly-ash in cement construction.
Flagging off the first rake consignment, Mr. Sunil Gupta, CEO – Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda, said, “Our endeavours to reduce, reuse and recycle our industrial by-products is rooted in our business ethos of Zero Harm, Zero Waste and Zero Discharge. Fly-ash being a voluminous product of the thermal power-reliant aluminium industry, we are exploring strategic partnerships in the construction and infrastructure sectors to utilize our fly-ash through avenues of circular economy, such as cement production, brick manufacturing, and so on. At Vedanta Jharsuguda, we use high-quality coal which results in better quality fly-ash, and we are delighted to be ACC Cement’s supplier of choice in this regard, given that its parent company, Holcim is one of the largest cement manufacturers in the world.”
Speaking about the partnership, Mr. Niraj Kumar Bansal, Vice President and Head-India Raw Materials & Inward Logistics – Supply Chain; ACC & Ambuja Cements Ltd. (Holcim-India) said, “Holcim India’s (ACC & Ambuja) partnership with Vedanta for fly ash evacuation is in line with our organization’s endeavours to promote a circular economy, bringing in sustainable growth. Fly-ash is used by the cement industry for blending purposes and provides manifold benefits in terms of cost, quality and better workability, with high strength gains. The cement industry should look forward to harnessing this industrial by product to their advantage.”
Vedanta has been supplying fly-ash to many cement manufacturers around its operations in Jharsuguda. In FY22, Vedanta Jharsuguda had supplied 190,000 tonnes of fly-ash to various cement plants in its vicinity and 60,000 tonnes to local brick manufacturing MSMEs. The company has also entered a long-term partnership with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for building greener roads with fly-ash. Through persistent endeavours in this direction, the company has recorded highest ever fly-ash utilization this year. The initiative to dispatch fly-ash via rail is in line with the company’s vision of achieving its environment sustainability targets, with the larger aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
Vedanta is India’s largest producer of the green metal, aluminium, operating a world-class 1.6 MTPA aluminium smelter and 3615 MW thermal power generation facility in Jharsuguda, Odisha. The only Indian smelter in the global ‘1 Million Tonne’ production and export club, Vedanta Jharsuguda is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications across core industries. With its state-of-the-art facilities, unparalleled engineering prowess, R&D and innovation abilities, Vedanta Jharsuguda is working towards a sustainable and greener future for all by spurring emerging applications of aluminium, the ‘Metal of the Future’.
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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