New Delhi: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of Aluminium and value-added products, won two first prizes at the prestigious National Energy Conservation Awards 2020 (NECA 2020), for exemplary efforts in energy conservation through best-in-class practices, technology adoption and innovative solutions. Instituted by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Government of India, the NECA Awards witnesses participation by the best in business from across various critical industry sectors.
In a virtual award ceremony held on 11th January 2021, Vedanta Ltd’s Jharsuguda (Odisha) Smelter-I bagged ‘First Prize’ in Aluminium (Large) Sector while Vedanta Ltd., Lanjigarh (Odisha), was conferred with the ‘First Prize’ in Aluminium (Small) Sector. Both units have rolled out nearly 80 impactful initiatives over the past three years to scale-up energy efficiency at respective locations.
Speaking about the awards, Mr. Ajay Kapur, CEO – Aluminium & Power and MD – Commercial, Vedanta Ltd., said, “At Vedanta, we are cognizant of our responsibilities towards ensuring a responsible and sustainable business footprint as we rapidly adapt to an energy-conscious world. We regularly benchmark our energy consumption with the industry’s best and strive towards improving our specific energy consumption. Towards this, we not only improve our process energy efficiencies but also evaluate and incorporate new technologies that have the potential to provide a step change improvement in energy efficiencies. Winning the coveted National Energy Conservation Awards has bolstered our commitment to emerge as the world’s best, lowest cost, most energy efficient and sustainable aluminium producer.”
Vedanta Aluminium & Power’s business units have always been forerunners in the field of energy efficiency and sustainability. Some notable initiatives and major highlights are:
- Vedanta’s aluminium smelter at Jharsuguda is India’s first, and the world’s third smelter to deploy Digital Smelter Solution, using digital twin technology, predictive and prescriptive analytics to enhance energy efficiency, reduce raw material consumption and arrest wastage of material through remote advisory system.
- The Jharsuguda smelter is also the first aluminium smelter in Asia to receive ISO 50001 certificate for Energy Management System since 2013.
- Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO), the iconic subsidiary of Vedanta Limited, achieved the lowest specific power consumption in potlines in 2020, setting a benchmark in India.
- Reduction in indirect energy consumption by 8 million Giga Joules between FY19 and FY20 for the business.
- Vedanta’s operations have a SCADA-based energy monitoring system wherein energy meters are connected to one server and reports are generated automatically. Portable flow meter and power meters have been installed to analyse load deviations.
- 100% graphitized cathode installation in Jharsuguda’s potline resultedin energy conservation of over 49000 MWh per annum.
- Initiatives to enhance operational excellence have resulted in reduction of thermal and electrical specific energy by 20% and 24% respectively, and overall specific energy consumption by 22% over the last five years at the Lanjigarh alumina refinery.
- All business units have adopted Business Excellence models such as Six Sigma, Quality Circles, Kaizen, etc. to carry out energy conservation projects.
- The business is actively exploring renewable energy sources like solar power, biomass and biogas to potentially reduce dependence on thermal power as the primary source of energy. In FY 20, more than 115 million units of renewable power was purchased by the business for consumption.
- Against Vedanta’s commitment to reduce the GHG intensity by 16% by 2020 from a 2012 baseline, on completion of the year 2019-20, the Aluminium Business was able to reduce its GHG intensity by 20%.
- Vedanta’s ‘Carbon Forum’, comprising representatives from each of our businesses, is actively working on the implementationof the company’s carbon mitigation approach.
Vedanta Aluminium & Power, a part of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, producing almost half of India’s aluminium or 1.9 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in FY20, and is also one of the largest private power producers in the country. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class smelters, alumina refinery and power plants spread across India, the company fulfills its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
