Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO), a global pioneer in the aluminium and power sector has committed to plant a total of 60,000 saplings in and around Korba, Kawardha and Chotia in Chhattisgarh. The company followed all the essential norms of social distancing and safety during the plantation drive.

BALCO leverages a slew of green technologies across its operations, mines and township, with the vision to shape a sustainable future. BALCO’s sustainability strategy is focused on evolving production processes to become more efficient with increased use of green and clean technologies.

Committed to sustainable development and nurture conservation

Abhijit Pati, CEO & Director, Balco said, “As a responsible global organization, we are committed to sustainable development and nurture conservation efforts across all our areas of operations using the best technology. We are conscious of our responsibility towards building a better and sustainable tomorrow for generations to come. Our commitment to safeguard the future is embedded in the company’s corporate objectives, production processes and the way we conduct our business.”

BALCO manages ambient air quality using top-of-the-line technologies like Fume Treatment Plant for processing pot room and bake oven effluents, as it is highly efficient in fluoride, gas and dust removal. To regulate particulate matter emission, it has highly installed energy efficient Hybrid Electrostatic Precipitators (ESP) with bag filters. Additionally, Automatic Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) system has been commissioned to monitor air quality using IoT for automated data collection and real-time transfer and analysis.

Fly ash disposal

BALCO ensures fly ash disposal from its power plant to the ash dykes through high-end High Concentration Slurry Disposal (HCSD) systems. The same fly ash is then 100% utilized as per fly ash notification. The company has set up a scientific Solid & Liquid Resource Management (SLRM) center in its township to convert organic waste into compost.

Plantation of 5.5 Lakh trees

As part of its commitment to increase green cover in and around plant site, BALCO has planted more than 5.5 lakh trees. The company has launched the Green School initiative in all the schools of BALCO township to increase awareness about environmentally safe practices among the future generations. BALCO is also one of the first organization in Chhattisgarh to introduce plastic elimination program PAHAL in its BALCO township to eliminate usage of single use plastic bags.

BALCO has been conferred with several accolades for the sustainable practices in its overall business operations. These include: Golden Peacock Energy Efficient Award 2019, Energy & Environment Foundation Global Environment Award 2019, Chhattisgarh Chapter HSE Award 2019, Mining Nazar Award 2019 for Sustainable mining practices and FIMI award for outstanding environmental performance at Coal mines 2019

As a responsible organization, BALCO is heavily invested in environmental management efforts. The company incorporates sustainability aspects into all facets of its business, from governance and strategy formulation to execution. It has initiated various programs on environment protection, sustenance and eco-conscious growth, backed by robust policies on Zero Harm, Zero Waste and Zero Discharge.