India's aluminum sector is becoming more and more prominent in the global shift to sustainable and low-carbon metals. Rajiv Kumar, CEO of Vedanta Aluminium, describes how India's size, resource base, and quickening adoption of renewable energy could allow the nation to spearhead the global green aluminum movement in an interview with Mercom India.
The Significance of Green Aluminum in Strategy
In an interview with Mercom India, Rajiv Kumar, CEO of Vedanta Aluminium, stated that electric vehicles, renewable energy infrastructure, construction, and aerospace segment alone need aluminum as crucial, input material. However, conventional aluminium manufacturing is highly energy-intensive and therefore carbon-emitting, given the reliance on coal-based power.
Demand for low-carbon aluminum is growing rapidly, as global markets move toward decarbonization. Indeed, trade flows across the world are expected to shift as a consequence of regulatory mechanisms like carbon border adjustment mechanisms and procurement standards associated with sustainability linkage. Producers able to generate efficient production technologies supported by clean energy have a great advantage competitively in such a scenario.
Competitive Advantage of India
This interview says there are a number of structural advantages which can place India in the frontline of a green aluminum production chain. It includes a sizeable homegrown aluminum manufacturing base, rich bauxite reserves, and an ever-growing capacity for renewable energy. Improved renewable energy economics in the country makes it increasingly plausible that low-carbon electricity could power highly power-consuming industries like aluminum smelting.
Renewable energy has been integrated into the operations of Vedanta Aluminium, one of India's largest aluminum producers. The company is proposing to source as much as 1,500 MW by 2030, most of this from solar, wind, and hybrid power systems. The goal behind changing over is to bring down drastically the carbon intensity for its aluminum production.
Decarbonization Strategies for All Operations
Vedanta Aluminium is working on a slew of quantifiable measures to decarbonize its operations in the power, fuel, and mobility sectors. In FY2025, the organization consumed 1.57 billion units (BU) of renewable energy-the highest renewable energy consumption ever recorded by any organization in India's aluminum sector-leading to a significant decrease in Scope 2 greenhouse gas emission. Part of long-term decarbonization roadmap, Vedanta Aluminium will source 1,500 MW of renewable power by 2030 through long-term green power purchase agreements; thereby, integrating solar, wind, and hybrid energy into its operations.
Beyond electricity procurement, multiple clean fuel transition measures have been taken by the company, including biomass cofiring of 3,941 metric tons, replacing diesel generators with photoelectricity systems, and the step-by-step transition of its alumina refineries to natural gas, which in turn results in lower fuel-related emissions and improved energy efficiency.
Clean Mobility is the other critical area that the company has emphasized in its sustainability initiatives. The company, Vedanta Aluminium, has rolled out the country’s largest electric fork truck base in the aluminum sector, consisting of a whopping 142 electric fork trucks spread across the company’s operational businesses in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. This move alone is expected to reduce over 4,450 tons a year of CO₂ equivalent emissions, in addition to cutting its diesel oil use by over 16.3 lakh liters every year.
Development of Low-Carbon Aluminum Products
The interview also covers how Vedanta Aluminium is launching low-carbon aluminum product lines, targeted at emerging demand from its clients around the world for greener materials. Those products would be produced with higher shares of renewable energy and optimized production processes to bring emissions per ton of aluminum way lower than those from conventional production.
These offerings are of particular relevance to global manufacturers focusing on decarbonizing supply chains, especially within the automotive, renewable energy, and infrastructure sectors. As disclosed sustainability and carbon reporting becomes mandated across markets, demand for such materials is likely to increase.
Implications for Policy and Industry
Although the role of corporate efforts cannot be overemphasized, it is also stressed that the role of leadership in green aluminum needs to be aided with the help of policies related to the use of renewable energy sources, green certification, and investment in clean technology and infrastructure.
The Indian aluminum sector is at the crossroads. It has the potential to move from being a volume-driven country to a low-carbon aluminum supplier in the international market with the right strategy, policy, and technology.
Conclusion
The world is witnessing a major shift towards de-carbonization, and new value chains are being formed in the industrial sector. In this new shift, aluminum is being touted as the green metal. India’s aluminum industry has been positioned in a way that it is going to be at the forefront of this major shift towards de-carbonization. This has been emphasized in the Mercom India Interview, wherein the need for investments in clean technologies is going to permit India to become a credible supplier of green aluminum.
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BASUNDE, Rohini（Global PR & Reporter ）
Based in India, Rohini works as a Reporter and Global PR professional,
leveraging her strong background in culture, society, and media studies.
Her work primarily involves article writing and managing global public relations campaigns.
Her core areas of interest are multiculturalism, intercultural understanding, and cross-cultural communication,
through which she disseminates information from a truly international perspective.
Hobbies: Drawing, photography, editing, traveling, and cooking.
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