BALCO Reaffirms Commitment to Carbon Neutrality and Water Positivity on World Environment Day
4th June 2025
Drives Environmental Stewardship through Renewable Energy Mix, Water Conservation and Community-Led Initiatives
Balconagar; 04th June 2025: Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), a part of Vedanta Aluminium, marked World Environment Day showcasing commitment to sustainability through strategic ongoing interventions encompassing adoption of renewable energy mix, replenishing water structures and afforestation. These initiatives align with the company’s vision of achieving Net Water Positivity by 2030 and Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050.
While practicing environmental responsibility in its core operations, BALCO expanded its usage of renewable energy mix contributing to a significant reduction of over 1.6 lakh tonnes of carbon emissions in FY ’25. Further advancing energy efficiency, the company introduced an improved relining design in its potlines, reducing energy consumption by 400 kWh per metric tonne (MT). Enhanced digitisation across logistics has facilitated data-driven fleet management, optimising the movement of raw materials and finished goods, further lowering emissions.
As part of its water conservation efforts, BALCO has recycled over 5.20 million cubic meters of water, achieving a 17% increase over the previous year. In its surrounding communities, the company has restored 28 water structures, including farm ponds and community reservoirs, with a total storage capacity of over 39,000 cubic meters, enhancing groundwater recharge and supporting local agriculture.
Speaking on the developing resilient ecosystem, Mr. Rajesh Kumar, CEO & Director, BALCO said, “Sustainability is central to our growth philosophy at BALCO. Through our focused interventions in environmental stewardship, renewable energy, and community development, we aim to create a resilient ecosystem that supports circular economy and industrial progress while safeguarding environment. Our initiatives are a testament to BALCO’s vision of transforming the planet, responsibly.”
BALCO also continued its afforestation initiatives, planting over 52,000 saplings across operational sites, including mines, ash dykes, and peripheral community areas. The deployment of electric forklifts in operations and electric vehicles for township waste management and movement, has further contributed to cleaner, energy-efficient operations with a lower carbon footprint.
In alignment with BALCO’s commitment to ‘Transforming the Planet’, the company has maintained ash-free operational spaces while actively channelling fly ash for constructive use across multiple industries, including brick and cement manufacturing, infrastructure development, road construction, mines backfilling and more.
Further strengthening its environmental stewardship in FY25, BALCO has undertaken several key sustainability initiatives, including:
- Development of plastic-free zones within plant premises
- Promotion of electric vehicle usage among employees
- Conduct of nature walks and cleanliness drives to raise awareness on local biodiversity
- Organisation of gardening competitions promoting native and exotic plant species
- Community campaigns celebrating the ecological richness of Chhattisgarh to foster environmental empathy
About BALCO:
Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) is a subsidiary of Vedanta Limited, operating a 0.57 million tonne per annum aluminium smelter in Korba, Chhattisgarh. It is part of Vedanta’s Aluminium Business, a division of Vedanta Limited, which is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium, i.e., 2.42 million tonnes in FY25. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2nd in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2024 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow. For more information, please log on to
www.balcoindia.com
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Disclaimer:
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” – that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “should” or “will.” Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets including the London Metal Exchange, fluctuations in interest and or exchange rates and metal prices; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional, and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.
About Vedanta Limited:
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil
& Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver,
Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa, Namibia, and
Australia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building.
Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong
focus on health, safety, and environment. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is
focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. Under the aegis of Vedanta Cares, the
flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars have been set up as model anganwadis focused on
eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with
skill development. Vedanta and its group companies have been featured in Dow Jones
Sustainability Index 2020, and were conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020,
CII Environmental Best Practices Award 2020, CSR Health Impact Award 2020, CII National
Award 2020 for Excellence in Water Management, CII Digital Transformation Award 2020, ICSI
National Award 2020 for excellence in Corporate Governance, People First HR Excellence Award
2020, ‘Company with Great Managers 2020’ by People Business and certified as a Great Place
to Work 2021. Vedanta’s flagship Nand Ghar Project was identified as best CSR project by the
Government of Rajasthan. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the
National Stock Exchange in India and has ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit
www.vedantalimited.com
