MINIMISING OUR IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Sustainability is an integral part of modern infrastructure projects. Infrastructure that exists in harmony with the local ecosystems creates lasting value and reinforces the positive use of financial capital. We endeavour to obtain a robust understanding of the societies in the vicinity of our projects, at the planning phase itself.

• Our Purulia-Kharagpur transmission line passed through the Sarna community. The natives work tirelessly to preserve their small tracts of land that they hold sacrosanct as a tribute to the God Sing Bonga; and, any attempt to clear the area of its trees is perceived as a disregard to the deity. Sterlite Power, in complete respect of these traditions, reformed the transmission line route and wherever it was not possible to do so, collaborated with the community leaders to develop alternatives. This also involved carrying out the necessary rituals to ensure that local sentiments were protected while delivering on the objectives of the project.
• With our NRSS 29 project amidst the high altitudes of Kashmir, we pioneered the use of helicranes and snow scooters in the transmission industry. Whether it was relocating tonnes of raw materials from the operation headquarters to the project site, or the cumbersome task of aerial fixation of metal transmission towers, the use of helicranes proved to be a successful innovation. This immense use of technology, powered by a rigorous support crew, enabled us in accomplishing the task with minimal impact on the environment.
• We undertake tree translocation initiative to promote greener outcomes in our power transmission projects. Herein, we translocate bigger and mature living trees within 500 metres and effectively reduce the felling of trees by ~40%. It helps to maintain air filtration, producing more oxygen, reducing soil erosion and conserving energy. We piloted the initiative in Indore, as part of our KTL project. The 189 km KTL project, connecting Indore to 1320 MW of thermal power from Khandwa, will benefit domestic, commercial, agricultural and industrial segments.
• In Odisha, our proposed transmission line overlapped with the existing power infrastructure for an industrial urban corridor, which supplied power to vital industries in the region directly. We could neither entertain power outages nor enter conflicts with the residents. We planned and carried out our work with extreme sensitivity and coordinated with authorities on multiple levels to get timely approvals – and help fulfil the coastal state’s crucial need for greater access to power.

RATIONALISING OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

Optimising environmental performance forms a key component of our sustainability blueprint and is essential for driving efficiencies and winning work. We have been taking steps to reduce our carbon emissions and mitigate the risks posed by climate change.

• Our Haridwar plant exemplifies sustainable manufacturing practices and has been consistently earning accolades for its performance and processes. The plant has been tracking its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) footprint year after year.
• In a bid to preserve the natural flora and fauna of the Arcoverde region in Brazil, we planted 7,200 saplings in the area during the year.

UPHOLDING GOOD GOVERNANCE PRACTICES

We continue to emphasise on robust governance processes. We encourage our people and the wider community to report any concerns about unethical conduct and immediate action is taken in respect of the reported issues. Our Whistle-blower policy, Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) policy and dedicated Ethics Committee enable us in bringing a higher degree of transparency in systems and processes at Sterlite Power.