- Rampura Agucha Mine’s 22 MW solar plant won at the 5th Edition CII National Energy Efficiency Circle Competition 2021
- The ‘Gold Standard’ solar plant contributed to 45,528 tCO2ecarbon emission reduction in FY21
Udaipur, 21st June 2021: Exemplifying the company’s motto of ‘Innovating for a Sustainable Future’, Hindustan Zinc’s Rampura Agucha Mine has won the ‘Best Application & Uses of Renewable Energy (Large Project)’ award at the 5th Edition of CII National Energy Efficiency Circle Competition 2021. Agucha Mine’s unique waste to wealth initiative, a solar power plant developed on a waste yard, won this award. The innovative design involved setting up of the solar power plant on a waste dump yard, with a triple benefit of – making efficient use of the waste land, saving environmental footprint through a renewable energy source and annual GHG savings of over 45,000 tCO2e.
Commenting on the achievement, CEO of Hindustan Zinc, Mr. Arun Misra, said, “At Hindustan Zinc, we have empowered our people to think of innovative ideas that contribute towards a sustainable and greener tomorrow. Our solar power plant that is developed on a waste yard at Agucha is a green energy initiative that has contributed to a carbon emission reduction of 45,528 tCO2e in just one year. This is in line with our commitment to achieve the Sustainability Development Goal of 0.5MN tCO2e GHG savings by 2025. I am proud of my Agucha team for their efforts and this achievement.”
Faced with the challenge of a waste yard where any plantation or constructing any major structure due to its load-bearing capacity and height was a challenge, the team of Prafulkumar Patel, Vinoth Jaroli, Rajesh Chaudhary and Upendra Totamalla had to engineer something unique. They developed a plan to utilize this infertile land and indigenously set up a 22 MW solar plant. This ground mounted ‘Gold Standard’ solar plant generated 48,083 MWh green energy in FY21, contributing to 40% of RAM’s energy requirement and leading to a GHG saving of 45,528 tCO2e.
Hindustan Zinc actively works on adopting renewable energy sources for captive use and has a portfolio of around 40 MW capacity solar projects across their locations in the state of Rajasthan. In FY21, the company reduced 5,51,695 MT of CO2 through use of green power while generating 83,420 Mwh of renewable solar energy. This green energy is part the company’s commitment to responsible mining and the larger purpose of running operations towards ‘zero harm, zero waste, zero discharge’ principle.
Furthermore, ranked first in the Asia- Pacific region and seventh globally in the metal and mining sector by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the company has made a name for itself in the global community. As a COP26 Business Leader, the company participated actively in shaping the agenda for tackling climate change. HZL is also among the only two mining companies globally and among only four Indian companies to be a part of the coveted CDP ‘A List’ 2020.
About Hindustan Zinc Limited
Hindustan Zinc Limited (BSE: 500188 and NSE: HINDZINC), a Vedanta Group company, is the world’s largest integrated zinc producer and the third-largest silver producer. The company supplies to more than 40 countries and holds a market share of about 75% of the primary zinc market in India. Hindustan Zinc has been recognized as the world’s most sustainable company in the metals and mining category for the second consecutive year by the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2024, reflecting its operational excellence, innovation, and leading ESG practices. The company also launched EcoZen, Asia’s first low carbon ‘green’ zinc brand. Produced using renewable energy, EcoZen has a carbon footprint of less than 1 tonne of carbon equivalent per tonne of zinc produced, about 75% lower than the global average. Hindustan Zinc is also a certified 2.41 times Water-Positive company and is committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050 or sooner. Transforming the lives of 1.9 million people through its focused social welfare initiatives, Hindustan Zinc is among the Top 10 CSR companies in India. As an energy transition metals company, Hindustan Zinc is pivotal in providing critical metals essential for a sustainable future.
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