Vedanta’s alumina refinery
in Lanjigarh won first prize in the “Best Energy Efficient Designated Consumer”
category at the CII National Energy Efficiency Circle Competition 2024
Vedanta Aluminium, India’s
largest aluminium producer, has been recognised with several accolades at the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) National Energy Efficiency Circle
Competition 2024, in recognition of the energy efficient practices deployed at
its alumina refinery in Lanjigarh, Odisha. The unit has been awarded the first
prize in the 'Best Energy Efficient Designated Consumer (under BEE-PAT scheme)'
category and has also received special appreciation in the categories of 'Best
Energy Efficient Organization (Large Sector)' and 'Best Managed Electrical
System for Energy Efficiency'. These awards acknowledge Vedanta Aluminium's
keen focus on ensuring responsible business operations.
Vedanta Aluminium’s
world-class refinery is tasked with producing high-quality alumina that is further
processed into aluminium at its smelters in Jharsuguda, Odisha and Korba,
Chhattisgarh. More than 29 energy efficiency projects are currently in progress
at the plant, geared towards bolstering Vedanta’s commitment to achieving Net
Zero emissions by 2050.
The projects, which fetched
Vedanta Lanjigarh top honours, included an enhancement of its power
distribution system for energy savings, improvements in its ‘digestion’ process
(where bauxite is mixed with caustic soda) and utilising biomass briquettes in
power generation as a renewable fuel source. These projects have significantly
enhanced the plant’s operational efficiency while also reducing energy
consumption. In FY 2024 alone, Vedanta Lanjigarh's efforts have resulted in the
reduction of more than 69,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Commenting on the
recognition, John Slaven, CEO, Vedanta
Aluminium, said, “At Vedanta Aluminium, we seek to establish new benchmarks
in operational excellence based on sustainable business practices. We thank CII
for acknowledging our efforts in this regard. These accolades are an
encouraging reflection of our relentless commitment to achieving our Net Zero
milestones and setting ever-higher standards in responsible operations.”
Vedanta Lanjigarh has
deployed several additional projects to enhance energy efficiency across its
operations, including:
• Anti frictional coating
in water cooling pumps, which have reduced electrical energy consumption to 469
MWh per annum, GHG savings of 355 tonnes CO2 per annum.
• Improvement in ball mills
used to grind bauxite into an even size. With upgrades, their capacity
utilization has increased significantly, reducing electrical energy consumption
to 2,400 MWh per annum, and leading to GHG savings of 1,702 tonnes CO2 per
annum.
• Complete digitization of
the plant’s electrical distribution and maintenance system which has enabled
advanced monitoring and reporting of energy readings for reducing errors.
The CII National Energy
Efficiency Circle Competition seeks to highlight best practices in energy
efficiency, renewable energy adoption, and climate change mitigation across
industries. This year, with the theme "Powering the Net Zero Goals",
the competition saw participation from 500+ organizations nationwide. The
competitions also recognise efforts undertaken by industries within the ambit
of the Government of India’s BEE-PAT scheme which is a regulatory instrument
for energy consumption reduction for energy-intensive industries. It is
governed under the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, a government body that assists
in developing policies and strategies to manage energy consumption.
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.
