Vedanta Lanjigarh successfully tests biodiesel as a green fuel alternative for commercial vehicles
16th February 2024
- The pilot aims to reduce emissions and enable the transition to sustainable operations.
Lanjigarh, Kalahandi District, Odisha, 16th February 2024: Vedanta Lanjigarh, India’s premier producer of metallurgical grade alumina and a part of Vedanta Aluminium, is exploring applications of biodiesel across plant operations as a part of its strategy to decarbonize its operations. The company has successfully conducted trial runs of using biodiesel as a ‘green’ fuel alternative for its fleet of commercial vehicles. Increasing the use of biofuels in its operations is a strategic move in the company’s journey to achieve net zero carbon by 2050 or sooner. A similar initiative has been earlier rolled out at BALCO, the company’s unit in Korba, Chhattisgarh.
Biodiesel is a form of ‘green’ fuel derived from biomass and a renewable substitute for petroleum-derived diesel which, when burned, contributes to far lower greenhouse gas emissions, as compared to conventional and non-renewable fuels. Using biodiesel as a vehicle fuel increases operational efficiency while making substantial contributions to reducing carbon emissions and fuel consumption. The company has also inducted 3-ton and 5-ton electric forklifts at its world-class alumina refinery in Lanjigarh, Odisha, adding to a fleet of 44 electric lithium-ion forklifts across its operations in Odisha and Chhattisgarh – the largest in the country. Vedanta Aluminium has committed to decarbonizing 100% of its Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) fleet by 2030 and 75% of its mining fleet by 2035, aligning closely with United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG7), which focusses on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy.
Speaking about Vedanta Lanjigarh’s climate action endeavours, Mr. Pranab Kumar Bhattacharyya, CEO – Alumina Business Vedanta Ltd said, “At Vedanta Aluminium, we have adopted a two-pronged approach to climate action which includes reducing our carbon footprint and offsetting emissions. Transitioning to greener fuels is a stride towards reducing our carbon footprint. By substantially reducing the proportion of diesel needed to power commercial vehicles, Vedanta Lanjigarh is determined to take the lead in incorporating sustainability in every aspect of its business. This forms a critical part of our strategy to evaluate and deploy emerging technologies towards decarbonising our operations and strengthen our position as an ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) leader.”
Vedanta Lanjigarh has been acknowledged at various platforms for its climate action initiatives. Recently, it was felicitated at the Odisha State Energy Conservation Award 2023 for its energy conservation initiatives. Several other accolades won by Vedanta Lanjigarh in this field include:
- Best Energy Efficient unit under Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Chandigarh Circle- For contributions in enhancing the scope of energy improvement through in-depth analysis of energy parameters.
- Best Energy Efficient unit under Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Hyderabad Circle- For achieving excellence in energy performance, adopting best practices in different verticals such as Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), utilizing renewable energy sources, managing waste, and raising energy awareness are essential.
- Best Energy Efficiency Performed Achieved Trade (PAT)- Recognition for best energy reduction practices across energy-intensive industries under Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India.
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 testament to its leading sustainable 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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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.
