UltraTech Cement plans to generate over 650 million units of renewable power with a target to increase the contribution of green energy to 25 per cent of its total power consumption by 2021. The targeted increase is more than double the current 10 per cent.

To achieve the objective, UltraTech plans to increase its Waste Heat Recovery System (WHRS) capacity, enabling a low carbon product mix through thermal substitution, the company said in a statement.

Carbon footprint

The use of renewable power for UltraTech’s energy requirements will result in annual carbon emission reduction of 533,000 tonnes of CO2, and in 25 years’ total carbon footprint reduction of 13 million tonnes. With this, UltraTech will be among the largest users of renewable energy in the Indian cement sector, it said.

Waste heat recovery

Last fiscal, UltraTech commissioned 28 MW of WHRS, taking its generation from the system to 8 per cent of total power consumption. There are more investments in progress which are expected to be completed in a phased manner by 2021, taking WHRS to 15 per cent of total power requirement, the statement said.

The benefits include a reduction in the cost per unit of power, as WHRS can bring it down to ₹0.50 from the existing thermal power cost of ₹4 per unit, it added.

KK Maheshwari, Managing Director, UltraTech, said the cement sector’s annual emissions need to come down by at least 16 per cent by 2030 to bring it in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change.

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