Vedanta to modify design of waste heat recovery plant in Goa to increase power generation

Vedanta plans to modify the design of one of its waste heat recovery power plants in Goa and reoptimise its turbines through the use of a specialised technology in order to increase power generation by another 5 MW, a top official of the company said.

This is in line with Vedanta's efforts towards reducing the carbon footprint.

"The design of turbine of our power plant will be slightly modified and it is getting reoptimised. The idea is in the nascent stage. The turbine which used to generate 30 MW will generate 35 MW using same amount of heat. We will ensure that heat loss and recirculation loss has been optimised through very specialised technology," Sujal Shah, CEO- iron ore business , Vedanta Ltd, told PTI.

Vedanta has already used this technology to increase the power generation of one its power plants in Rajasthan.

"Vedanta's iron ore business has two power plants of 30 MW (each). Once we complete optimisation of one power plant, we will replicate the same for other one ," Shah explained.

The company plans to invest on the technology, he said adding that it is just a technological upgradation of higher efficiency. In the same way, the company also plans to install waste recovery power plant at its coke oven batteries at newly acquired coke making facilities in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

"These power plants will help us to continue to supply power to state grids at nominal cost and to other sources. This is a safer way of green power generation using waste heat from coke oven batteries" he explained.

Vedanta's Sesa Goa iron ore business had earlier said that it is looking to achieve carbon net neutrality by 2050. In line with the country's larger vision of net-zero carbon economy, the company has devised a comprehensive plan to achieve this goal.

To reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, Vedanta's Sesa Goa iron ore business has implemented several projects such as pulverized coal injection (PCI), waste heat recovery power plants, massive plantation drives in nearby communities, development of green belts within operation sites and refurbishment of blast furnaces, among others, the company had said.

Sesa Goa Iron Ore Business plans to achieve carbon net neutrality in a phased manner with a target to further reduce GHG emissions by up to 25 per cent by 2030.

The company is also mulling a carbon capture utilisation and storage unit of 10 tonne per day to make carbon products. In its quest to become a net-zero organization, Vedanta's Sesa Goa Iron Ore business has been adopting various green technologies and process optimization innovations.