Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has won the prestigious Kalinga Energy Excellence Award and Kalinga Environment Excellence Award for its alumina refinery unit at Lanjigarh in Odisha’s Kalahandi district.

These awards were presented by the Institute of Quality and Environment Management (IQEMS) in association with the Odisha State Pollution Control Board and the Institute of Public Enterprise, Hyderabad.

While speaking on the achievement, John Slaven, CEO, Vedanta Aluminium, said, “Our success in energy efficiency and environmental conservation, driven by our commitment to sustainable operations, is reflected in our numerous accolades. Balancing increased operational efficiency with a sustainable value chain is a top priority in our decision-making process.”

“These achievements underscore our relentless pursuit of excellence through a sustainable business model, bolstering the transformational journey of Vedanta Aluminium,” he added.

Notably, the company’s sustainability initiatives have been acknowledged at the highest forums, with Vedanta Aluminium achieving the top score in the S&P Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) rankings for the 2023 assessment period.

Vedanta’s Lanjigarh unit, India’s premier producer of smelter-grade alumina, has undertaken multiple initiatives as part of Vedanta Aluminium’s sustainability goals such as Net Zero Carbon by 2050, Net Water Positivity by 2030, effective waste management, biodiversity restoration and adoption of energy-efficient technologies across operations.

The company is contributing to the sustainable transformation of the industry through initiatives such as increasing the usage of renewable energy sources like biomass for boiler cofiring, deploying lithium-ion electric forklifts, and incentivising employees to use electric vehicles.

The company claims that these efforts have resulted in a significant reduction in overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity by approximately 9.3% in FY24 compared to the FY21 baseline while increasing production by approximately 20%.

By leveraging water reutilisation and fostering a water-positive footprint through collaborative efforts with local communities and constant water-level monitoring, Vedanta Aluminium has recycled over 15 billion litres of water across operations during FY24, it said.