Aditya Aluminium advances sustainability with EV recharge stations & fly ash transportation

Hindalco Industries, the metals flagship of the Aditya Birla Group, has launched EV bulkers at its Aditya Aluminium plant in Odisha to deliver one million tonnes of fly ash to the local cement industry over the next five years. In addition, the company has set up two EV recharge stations near the fly ash loading area, advancing its efforts in green transportation and sustainable operations.

Image Source: Hindalco

Mr Kailash Pandey, Head of Sambalpur Cluster, Hindalco Industries Ltd., said, “By adopting greener transportation options for supplying waste materials to be used as raw material in another industry, we are taking a step closer to realising our vision to achieve zero-waste alumina production across our operations. Each step we take towards sustainability helps reduce our environmental footprint. And every milestone brings us closer to achieving a logistics operation that is efficient, responsible, and aligned with our organization’s vision for a sustainable future.”

By transitioning to electric vehicles, the plant expects a reduction of 3,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions and an annual savings of INR 1.5 crore in freight costs. As part of its global sustainability drive and pursuit of carbon neutrality, Hindalco plans to progressively replace its diesel fleet with electric vehicles across all its plants in India. This initiative reinforces Hindalco’s commitment to net-zero emissions, reducing scope-3 emissions, and supporting a circular economy by deriving value from waste.

4 million tonnes of fly ash

Fly ash makes up approximately 35 per cent of the volume of cement production. Hindalco supplies around 4 million tonnes of fly ash from its plants across India to the cement industry. Hindalco is committed to scaling up the use of LNG and electric vehicles in road transport while expanding rail-based transportation by connecting its new mines and plant locations to the Indian Railways network. This initiative strengthens Hindalco’s position as a leader in sustainable practices and carbon reduction, marking significant progress toward a greener future.

Mr. Sukanta Das, President & Chief Logistics Officer, Hindalco Industries Ltd., commented, “This marks an important milestone as we induct the first set of Electric Vehicles (EVs) into our transportation fleet. These EVs will play a pivotal role in transporting our critical waste, Fly Ash, to the cement industry as an input material, contributing not only to a greener transportation system but also to the circular economy.”

Repurposing waste materials

The company repurposes waste materials such as fly ash, ETP sludge, red mud, spent pot liner, and FGD waste to produce blended cement like PPC (Portland Pozzolana Cement), PPC Super, clinker, and composite cement, helping conserve valuable natural resources. Additionally, Hindalco supplies 1.4 lakh metric tonnes of copper slag for ready-mix concrete production, replacing sand.

Hindalco is also at the forefront of climate action and emission reduction efforts, with initiatives such as a 100 MW round-the-clock carbon-free power project for its Odisha smelter. This project earned the esteemed 'Energy Transition Changemaker' award at COP28, highlighting the company’s commitment to sustainable energy solutions.