NALCO initiates green measures for sustainable development

Taking its green initiatives a step further, navratna public sector undertaking National Aluminium Company Limited is setting up a grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic project of 160 kWp for its corporate office building at Bhubaneswar. The project was formally launched by the company’s chairman cum managing director Ansuman Das earlier this month.

Giving details, the company said it expected the project to generate green renewable energy of about 2.10 lakh units per annum. The Centre through Solar Energy Corporation of India will bear 30 percent of the capital cost as subsidy. In December last year, Ujaas Energy Limited was selected for execution of the project.

Of late, NALCO has initiated several measures aimed at promoting sustainable development through harnessing of unconventional and renewable energy sources. In January this year, it commissioned a 47.6 MW capacity wind power project at Ludarva in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. The Rs. 283 crore project was executed through Gamesa Wind Turbines Private Limited and involved erection of 56 wind turbines, each of 850 KW rating, in two phases. Prior to that, in December 2012, the company commissioned its first wind power project of 50.4 MW capacity at a cost of Rs. 274 crore at Gandikota in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. The project, executed through Suzlon Energy Limited, involved erection of 24 wind turbines, each of 2.1 MW rating. Plans are afoot to set up the third wind power plant in the company’s own mined out area of Panchpatmali bauxite deposit in Koraput, Odisha.

In addition to harnessing renewable energy sources, NALCO has initiated various other measures in a bid to promote sustainable development. The company’s captive power plant (CPP) in Angul is making continuous efforts to increase fly ash utilization in an environment friendly manner. Some of the steps taken in this direction include carrying out extraction of beta alumina in lab scale, development of fly ash brick/blocks, granite tiles and ceramic products, expansion of ash pond dykes using huge quantity of fly ash, experimental use of fly ash in plantation and agricultural field, exploring possibility of back filling of abandoned coal mines by fly ash and biotechnological application of microbes for fly ash amelioration and their utilization in agriculture and wasteland development. In 2013-14, the fly ash utilization reached 74.74 percent till December 2013. At present, the fly ash generated by the CPP is used in activities such as brick manufacturing, cement industry, asbestos manufacturing, agriculture, concrete work and road construction. The fly ash is supplied to manufacturers of fly ash brick and ash based products free of cost. The company also has an incentive scheme under which it gives Rs.130/M3 of ash lifted from the ash ponds for use within a radius of 7 km. and Rs.150/ M3 for use beyond 7 km.