Akshay Urja Diwas: Vedanta Aluminium Recognised by CII for Demonstrating Innovation in Energy Efficiency

Vedanta’s alumina refinery in Lanjigarhwonfirst prize inthe “Best Energy Efficient Designated Consumer” category at the CII National Energy Efficiency Circle Competition 2024

By Dr Gourang Charan Rout

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 22 : Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest aluminium producer,has been recognised with several accolades atthe 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 andhas 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 than69,000 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 onsustainable 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 milestonesand setting ever-higherstandards in responsible operations.”

Vedanta Lanjigarh has deployed severaladditional projectsto 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 Competitionseeks 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. Itis 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.