Vedanta Jharsuguda wins APEX India Green Leaf ‘Platinum’ Award for Sustainability

Subas Sahare / Jharsuguda (Kalinga Voice): Vedanta Jharsuguda, India’s largest producer of aluminium and value-added products, has been declared winner of APEX India Green Leaf ‘Platinum’ Award for outstanding achievement in sustainability in the Metals & Mining category. Platinum is the highest category among sustainability awards, and the company was adjudged winner after a thorough assessment of best practices and performance excellence in sustainability.Over 180 organizations across various industries had participated in the assessment.

Vedanta’s sustainability practices are focused on the three primary pillars of economic, environmental and social impact. Towards this end, Vedanta has instituted the Vedanta Sustainability Assurance Programme (VSAP), a robust governance system following International Finance Corporation (IFC)&Internation Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) guidelines that guides the company’s operations and measures performance across 34 elements under the broader dimensions of Sustainability, such as  Leadership,Process Safety & Management of Change,Continuous Improvement, Social Sustainability, Resource Use Management, Health, Safety, Environment (HSE) Management etc.

Speaking about the company’s efforts in sustainability, Mr. CN Singh, CEO – Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda, said, “Vedanta’s operations are governed by the robust Vedanta Sustainability Framework, drawn in line with the best international standards. Our business imperatives and social responsibilities are founded on the premise of ‘Zero Harm, Zero Waste & Zero Discharge’, and fulfilled through anunwavering commitment to leverage global expertise, adopt green technology and use resources judiciously, to create a lasting positive impact on the environment, our communities, partners and customers. The APEX India Green Leaf Platinum Award stands testimony to our endeavours against those commitments.”

Mr. TJ Kim, Plant In-charge from KEPCO KPS, Vedanta’s partner for operation & maintenance of its 1215 MW Captive Power Plant adds, “Vedanta Jharsuguda’s sustainability practices are very well developed, meeting international requirements. Vedantahas a very focused approach on safety, health and environment aspects of business performance.”

As the country’s largest producer of aluminium, which an eternally recyclable metal with minimal loss in quality and energy requirements, Vedanta integrates smart innovation, best-in-class technology, environmental safeguards and sustainability-focused operating proceduresto create value for the nation. Few examples:

• Vedanta’s aluminium smelters, power plants and alumina refinery are among India’s leading energy efficient manufacturing units.

• Vedanta Jharsuguda is India’s first, and the world’s third, smelter to deploy Digital Smelter Solution, which allows for remote monitoring and control of potline operations, enhances energy efficiency, reduces raw material consumption and arrests wastage of material.

• Online and continuous environment monitoring and real-time data acquisition system for superior monitoring and faster decision making.

• Vedanta Jharsuguda is one the best water efficient smelters in the country, ensuring 100% recycling of treated water for zero-discharge operations.

• State-of-the-art pollution control equipment, robust processes, globally benchmarked best-practices, etc. are in place for proper air,water, land and waste management.

• The company is exploring renewable energy sources like solar power and biomass to potentially reduce dependence on thermal power as the primary source of energy.

• Extensive digitalization of processes towards achieving paperless operations.

• Vedanta is also in the process of deploying advanced data analytics technologies in its power plants by incorporating both predictive and prescriptive analytics to enhance energy efficiency and improve sustainability of operations and reduce wastage and safety risks with minimal or zero human touch.

• Vedanta’s social interventions in the domains of sustainable livelihood, women empowerment, quality education, health, water and sanitation, bio-investment and community infrastructure benefit lakhs of people every year.

Vedanta is India’s largest producer of the greenmetal, 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 one of the largest technically qualified and diverse workforces in the country, the company is working towards a sustainable and greener future for all by spurring emerging applications of aluminium, the ‘Metal of the Future’.