Essar Power has commissioned its first flue gas scrubber at the Essar Power Hazira (EPHL) facility. The scrubber is designed to bring down the sulphur dioxide in flue gas by 25%, going a long way in checking emissions and helping the environment. Essar takes excessive care to ensure that there is a balance between business operations and environment. With an aim to further its Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) goals, Essar has been encouraging its businesses to transition to green operations and invest in technologies that reduce their carbon footprint.
Commenting on the milestone Kush, CEO, Essar Power, said “Essar Power believes in running its operations with minimal environmental impact. The commissioning of scrubber has been accomplished despite the challenges we faced due to the pandemic. With the first one completed, we shall surely look at replicating it at other facilities of ours in future. Such eco-initiatives are part of Essar Power’s strategic plan to transition to green operations.”
Team involved with the project has put in place an innovative approach, wherein the scrubber was optimised as per the coal quality being supplied, and the emission norms targeted. In fact, the project was fast-tracked while maintaining all safety precautions, and executed without a single reportable incident.
Covid-19 situation and related constraints did pose challenges for the project, both in terms of supply of material, as well as manpower. However, the company adapted to the situation and all work at site was carried out with strict adherence to safety protocols. Precautions such as social distancing, wearing of face mask, day time working in view of night curfew, etc were followed. All external manpower were screened using RTPCR testing, and a vaccination drive was carried out to strengthen the herd immunity within the facility. By having most fabrication work carried out on the site itself, EPHL not just ensured quality but also maintained a consistent pace of work.
EPHL is part of Essar Power, which is India’s one of the first private sector independent power producer with a power generating capacity of 2,070 MW across four plants in India and Canada. The company also has a 465-km interstate transmission system which spans across three Indian states.
Essar Power (EPOL) forms part of the energy portfolio of Essar Global Fund Limited (EGFL), whose investments are managed by Essar Capital. Guided by ESG principles for all its investments, Essar is either transforming its businesses to being green, or investing in sector transforming green businesses.
EPOL recently announced its plan to foray into renewable energy starting with investment of Rs. 300 Crore in a 90 MWp PV Solar power plant in Madhya Pradesh. The company’s investments in Green Hydrogen, Renewables and Battery Storage show a clear focus towards strengthening the sustainability aspects of its portfolio and unconditional commitment towards becoming net zero on carbon emissions by 2030.
