Vedanta Lanjigarh deploys advanced Energy Management System for enhanced energy efficiency

Lanjigarh, Kalahandi District, Odisha, 04 May2024 -Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh, India’s premier producer of smelter grade alumina and a unit of Vedanta Aluminium, recently launched anadvanced Energy Management System across its power plant. It will help monitor the energy performance parameters of120 critical electrical assets, thereby enhancing energy efficiency levels across the plant. The initiative is a notable digitalization effortthat will result in enhanced functional optimization and increased automation of the refinery operations.

 

The Energy Management System is a crucial component within manufacturing industries to ensure systematic monitoring, analysis, control, and optimization of critical assets. It is an integrated setup that monitors the optimal energy distribution and reliability of various critical equipment andcomes with trigger systems to check for anyunexpected deviations, while providing quality checks and energy improvement recommendations, leading to overall energy efficiency.Leveraging a data-driven approach,the systemis executed througha central database, ensuring end-to-end consolidation of the entire refinery’s operations.

 

The alumina refining process has significant energy requirements, which are primarily fulfilled by a captive co-generation power plant. Implementing advanced,automated, and data-drivenprocesses such as the Energy Management Systemincreases operational efficiency and leads to significant GHG (Green House Gas) emissions reduction.Through its focusonthe adoption ofinnovativeand leading technologies, the companyreaffirmsitscommitment to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2050 or sooner, as part of its ESG(Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals.

 

Speaking on theoccasion, Mr. Pranab Kumar Bhattacharyya, CEO – Alumina Business, Vedanta Ltd said,“Our pursuit of operations excellence is deeply rooted in a sustainable business model. Through initiatives such as Energy Management Systems, we are committed towards bolstering our energy efficiency. In an industry that requires an uninterrupted supply of energy, we are integrating cleaner and more sustainable energy systems to significantly reduce our carbon footprint, thereby shaping a prosperous and sustainable future for all.”

 

Vedanta’s alumina refinery has achieved several recognitions for its energy efficiency initiatives under several Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) circles as well as from Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India. The awards were in recognition of its energy efficient performance, utilizing renewable energy sources, and energy utilization improvements through in-depth analysis.

Vedanta Aluminium has committed to achieving Net Zero by 2050 or sooner by adopting a two-fold strategy of reducing its carbon footprint by increasing operational excellence and enhancing the quantum of renewables in its energy mix, while also offsetting its carbon footprint through extensive afforestation efforts. Through its operations, the company is enabling wider global access to responsibly produced, high-quality aluminium to ensure a greener future for the planet. The key milestones achieved by the company in this journey are:

• Reducing GHG emissions intensity by ~8% in FY23 over the FY21 baseline while increasing production by ~16%

• Recycling over 15 billion litres of water across its operations during FY24

• Achieving a noteworthy 11% reduction in water withdrawal from freshwater sources

• Significant freshwater usage savings of 1.5 million cubic meters

• Doubling waste utilization to 200% in FY23, boosting circular economy avenues

• Collaborating on over 60 rural community water bodies restoration projects

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.