The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
NEW DELHI, DEC 14, 2023
On National Energy Conservation Day, Vedanta Aluminium, the largest aluminium producer in India, announces a significant new breakthrough in the lining design of the ‘pots’ at its aluminium smelters. These smelters house several potlines, which are long buildings within the smelter that contain a series of ‘pots’, or large electrolytic cells, within which aluminium production via smelting is carried out.
The ‘Vedanta Lining Design’ is a patented, energy-efficient technique that provides the dual advantages of increased energy efficiency and enhanced lifespan of the smelting pots, reducing energy consumption by 200 to 250KWh per tonne of aluminium produced.
The innovation has also been recognised by the Power Ministry’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), as part of its National Energy Efficiency Innovation Awards (NEEIA) 2023, in the presence of the President of India, Droupadi Murmu.
On the occasion of National Energy Conservation Day, this prestigious recognition comes as a strong reaffirmation of the company’s commitment to championing energy efficiency and conservation through transformative innovations within the global aluminium industry. Its initiatives in this regard also closely align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals of Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure (SDG9), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG12) and Climate Action (SDG13).
The new lining technique was designed using numerical computational modelling techniques that simulate electrical and thermal behaviour within the smelting pots. After a successful year-long trial, the design is now ready to be deployed across its smelters, including Vedanta Jharsuguda in Odisha, one of the largest aluminium smelters in the world, and at BALCO, India’s iconic aluminium smelter based in Korba, Chhattisgarh. It is projected to reduce GHG emissions by up to 3.86 lakh tCO2e (tons of carbon dioxide equivalent)generated per annum on complete deployment at its largest smelter in Jharsuguda alone.
Commenting on the company’s energy conservation efforts, Vedanta Aluminium CEO John Slaven said, “At Vedanta Aluminium, climate action is a key strategic pillar and business imperative, executed through a two-pronged strategy of mitigation and offsetting of our carbon footprint. Energy management and conservation is an integral aspect of this entire effort, and we are therefore focused on leading the charge in this aspect within the aluminium industry. These include optimizing energy consumption and transitioning to sustainable energy alternatives, thereby setting new benchmarks in responsible production across the industry value chain.”
As part of its innovation, the company has also successfully integrated graphitization into its pot lining design, a process that makes the properties of the cathodes used in aluminium production more akin to graphite – an excellent conductor of electricity known for its stability at high temperatures. The process enables the cathodes, crucial to the smelting process, display enhanced electrical conductivity, contributing to more energy efficiency and sustainable operations. The deployment is nearing completion in both smelter locations.
Vedanta Aluminium has also launched its second annual Climate Action Report, aligned with the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The TCFD framework comprises a set of guidelines to help companies disclose climate-related financial risks and opportunities to their stakeholders. The detailed report transparently outlines the comprehensive approach undertaken by Vedanta Aluminium to achieving its sustainability targets in the short, medium, and long term.
Vedanta Aluminium has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, implementing a series of impactful energy conservation measures in FY23 and achieved a total amount of 1.4 million gigajoules (GJ) energy savings. By 2025, the company plans to derive 7 percent of its total power consumption from renewables, utilising 1.37 billion units of renewable energy in FY23 alone which is equivalent to power generation of approximately 150 MW from a thermal power plant.
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.29 million tonnes in FY23. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2nd in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2022 world rankings for aluminium industry, a reflection of its 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.
