The aluminium business of Vedanta has entered into a pact with GEAR India to deploy one of the largest fleets of lithium-ion battery-powered electric forklifts in the country.
The company will commission 23 such forklifts in a phased manner over the next few months at its aluminium smelter in Jharsuguda, Odisha, which is one of the world’s largest single-location aluminium smelters, Vedanta said in a statement. Substituting diesel-fuelled forklifts with this green fleet will reduce diesel consumption by more than 2.5 lakh litres annually, thereby ensuring GHG (greenhouse gas) emission savings of nearly 690 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, it said.
Vedanta Aluminium currently operates a large fleet of forklifts for finished goods handling, material movement, etc. The new lithium-ion forklifts will help maximise productivity of operations by enabling longer working cycles via rapid charging.
“Vedanta Aluminium is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Our partnership with GEAR to deploy one of India’s largest and most advanced electric forklift fleets, is in line with our endeavour towards leveraging the power of innovation and technology to make our operations future-ready.