273.5
MW of Green Energy – 34.4 MW of power through waste heat recovery from roasters
- Reduced Carbon footprint of 700,677 tCO2e per annum
Rationalisation and Innovation
plays an important role in the development of any country. But as the business
grows, responsibility towards the people and the surroundings also grows. It is
important for the industries to adopt best environment friendly technologies
for all its operations. Optimum utilisation of resources and managing the waste
should be the key focus area of any industry.
Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta group
company in zinc-lead-silver business and the world's largest integrated zinc
producer has been the key initiator in adopting clean green technology. The
company's mining and smelting operations are based on environment friendly
technologies that led the plant to conserve water and energy.
The operations are working on
zero discharge principle and company is putting on efforts and research for
gainful utilization of waste generated at its mines, smelters and power plants.
Hindustan Zinc has persistent focus on minimal impact on environment and the
company practices - reduce, recycle, reuse, and reclaim policy. The Effluent
Treatment Plant with Reverse Osmosis plants installed at all smelting locations
is resulting in reducing fresh water foot prints of the company and also to
maintain zero discharge status.
The company installed its first
Adiabatic Cooling Towers (ACTs) to replace the conventional cooling towers at
the cost of about 40 crores. ACTs reduce water wastage in the form of
evaporation losses by almost 80% by operating in a closed circuit. This has
reduced the fresh water consumption at intake.
Care for the environment is
driven by the three factors – technology, people and adherence. The company has
successfully completed commissioning of 273.5 MW of wind farms in two phases,
located in five states of India - Gujarat (88.8 MW), Karnataka (49.40 MW),
Rajasthan (88.8 MW), Maharashtra (25.5 MW) and Tamil Nadu (21 MW). The company's
entire 273.5 MW capacities of wind power generation have been registered under
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) program by United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They produced and sold 511.4 million
units of wind power to the states' grids, an increase of 52.3% as compared to
FY 2012.
The concern and the participation
for the conservation of the environment cannot be forced; it has to be taken up
as a responsibility. The company has been successful in reducing annual average
emissions of 497,209 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, by producing 536,882
MWh per year (average) equivalent amount of clean energy.
Other than wind projects,
company's 9.4 MW waste heat recovery Steam Turbine Generation (STG) and 21 TPH
Low Calorific Value Gas (LCV) boilers for steam generation projects are also
registered under CDM. The total registered project has helped Hindustan Zinc to
reduce carbon footprint by 583,685 tCO2e per annum. The company also reduced
carbon footprint by 116,992 tCO2e from initiatives other than the registered CDM projects.
Care for the environment can be
done in two ways: enhancing the green belt and protecting the environment. The
company's R&D efforts have materialised to utilise slag, a waste from zinc process
in cement manufacturing. The fly ash which is a waste material from thermal
power plant is utilised fully by cement industries. Over 1.3 million green
plantation cover the company's premises. Hindustan Zinc is producing 34.4 MW of
power through waste heat recovered from roasters. The company is also in the
process to construct 20 million liters per day (MLD) Sewage Treatment Plant
(STP) in Udaipur. This Sewage Treatment Plant is a significant step towards
conservation of water and care for environment by cleaning the Ahar River
thereby improving overall health & hygiene of Udaipur city.
The company innovated the
'Cansolv Technology' in the Lead Plant at Chanderiya unit that controls SO2 emissions
and converts it into Sulphuric Acid. Hindustan Zinc has also installed Tail Gas
Treatment (TGT) plants at its smelters that reduce SO 2 emissions below the
national standards. The technology adopted does not produce waste and effluent.
Hindustan Zinc has a
state-of-the-art `Central Research & Development Laboratory (CRDL)' which
was established by the company in 1976 with an objective to enhance metal
recoveries, to recover values from the waste and optimise waste management.
Hindustan Zinc also adheres to
the highest safety standards that also have been integrated in the people management
process. It enables the company to detect and eliminate any safety risk, occupational
risk or health hazards. The company through PPE compliance, structured training,
safety workshops and internal & external audits is committed to have zero workplace
injury. The company is working towards elimination of occupational illness
through providing a workplace that is free from the occupational health risk
and hygiene hazard. They (OH experts & Company doctors) pro-actively work
with employees and the contractors for healthier lifestyle that enables to
increase the productivity of the company and reduces absenteeism.
All the mines and the smelters
are having occupational health centres where experts are present for regular
health examination of the employees at the workplace. These centres also have
the facilities of specific examination like blood lead level test, audiometric
test, spirometry test, apart from routine tests like ECG, X-ray facilities etc.
The employees also play the
important role of maintaining highest standards of corporate governance. All
the employees are adhered to all the Environment, Occupational Health and Safety (EOHS) policies, contributing in protecting and
conserving the environment to bring ecological balance as a part of sustainable
development.
