Vedanta's Sesa Goa iron ore business pledges to become carbon neutral by 2050

The company has devised a comprehensive plan to achieve this goal, in line with India's larger vision of net-zero carbon economy. Vedanta's Sesa Goa Iron Ore Business has implemented several operational excellence projects to reduce GHG emissions, such as pulverised coal injection (PCI), waste heat recovery power plants, massive plantation drives in nearby communities, development of green belts within operation sites, refurbishment of blast furnaces etc.

Vedanta Sesa Goa Iron Ore business plans to achieve carbon net neutrality in a phased manner  with a target to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions up to 25 per cent by 2030. The company aims to install solar power plants up to 10MW and upgrade turbines in waste heat recovery power plants by May 2022 to increase clean power generation by 5MW. 

The company is also mulling a carbon capture utilisation and storage unit of 10 tonnes per day to make carbon products. Additionally, Vedanta Sesa Goa Iron Ore Business is planning to enhance pulverised coal injection by up to 150 Kg per ton of hot metal to reduce emissions from coke, install a sinter plant waste heat recovery system and top recovery turbine, besides undertaking coke dry quenching in near future. 

In its quest to become a net-zero organisation, Vedanta Sesa Goa Iron Ore Business has been producing 60 MW green power through two waste heat recovery power plants at Value-Added Business (VAB) in Goa. The company is upgrading and refurbishing blast furnaces to reduce specific energy and fuel consumption. Furthermore, it is using pulverised coal injection (PCI) to eliminate GHG emissions from coal to coke conversion process. 

Sauvick Mazumdar, CEO, Vedanta Iron and Steel Sector reaffirmed the company's commitment towards maintaining the highest standards of ESG, and said, "Vedanta Iron & Steel sector is fully committed towards achieving the goal of being a carbon net neutral business by 2050 or earlier, with the collective efforts of our entire value chain. In line with India's larger vision of a Net-Zero carbon economy, we at Vedanta's Iron & Steel Sector are strictly ensuring adoption of the highest standards of ESG through process improvements and technology-based innovations." 

Vedanta Sesa Goa Iron Ore Business had proactively introduced numerous sustainability initiatives in the past such as systematic reclamation of Sanquelim Iron Ore Mine, development of green belts within operational sites, community plantation drives in the periphery of all operational areas, adoption of innovative 'Miyawaki' plantation techniques, etc.