Vedanta Aluminium becomes pro at water efficiency, reports 19% less ‘Specific Water Consumption’ at its Jharsuguda smelters

Vedanta Aluminium has set another national benchmark, and this time it is all about water efficiency. On Tuesday, September 6, the company declared its Aluminium Smelter-I at Jharsuguda (Odisha) substantially reduced Specific Water Consumption (water consumed per unit of metal produced) by around 11 per cent in FY2022 compared to the previous fiscal for producing more than 17,400 tonnes of aluminium over the year.

Vedanta Aluminium at Jharsuguda has two state-of-the-art aluminium smelters. The Smelter-II (SEZ) reduced Specific Water Consumption by 8 per cent in FY22, while producing 2 lakh tonnes of aluminium more than the previous year. Overall, Vedanta’s Jharsuguda site recycled around 5 billion litres of water for inhouse consumption in the last fiscal, marking a significant step towards its goal - Net Water Positive by 2030.

Mr. Sunil Gupta, CEO of Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda, said: “Our water management endeavours are aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 of Clean Water & Sanitation. We, at Vedanta Jharsuguda, are on a mission to minimize our water footprint, while supporting the local communities in their water-related requirements and helping maintain the ecological balance. Emerging as the national benchmark in specific water consumption heartens and motivates us to redouble our efforts in this direction. Our journey towards making our operations water positive will ensure sustainability of our business and make available more water for local communities and biodiversity.”

Water management is Vedanta’s key commitment, ensuring Zero Liquid Discharge, meaning all liquid generated at operations is contained, processed, and reused at the plant itself. Vedanta Aluminium follows a 4-pillared approach to sustainable water management.