New Delhi: Vedanta Iron and Steel Ltd (VISL) on Thursday said it has reduced, avoided or sequestered nearly 2.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions over the past five years through a range of sustainability initiatives across its mining and steel operations.
Marking World Environment Day, the company highlighted measures including renewable energy adoption, cleaner logistics, electrification of equipment and ecosystem restoration as part of its decarbonisation strategy.
VISL said electric passenger vehicles, wheel loaders and forklifts deployed across operations now save nearly 800 kilolitres of diesel annually, significantly lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The company’s barge-based logistics network also helped reduce emissions.
In FY26, barge operations were equivalent to eliminating around 2.1 lakh truck trips, saving 10.8 million litres of diesel and cutting nearly 28,900 tonnes of CO2 emissions. VISL generates a cumulative 100 MW of power through waste heat recovery systems at its pig iron plant in Goa and steel plant in Bokaro. The low-carbon power facilities have helped avoid about 2.4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, the company said.
The company has also focused on ecological restoration. Its reclaimed Sanquelim mine in Goa, spread across more than 100 hectares, hosts around 7.5 lakh trees that sequester nearly 16,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.
Over three decades, the site has absorbed close to 4.8 lakh tonnes of CO2.
Additionally, VISL has planted over 75,000 trees under Miyawaki forest projects in Goa and Jharkhand, along with around three lakh trees through afforestation drives.
At its Bokaro steel plant, VISL is transitioning to piped natural gas in partnership with Indian Oil, a move expected to reduce emissions by about 1,500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent
annually.