PremiumMUMBAI : Essar Power has commissioned its first flue gas scrubber at the Essar Power Hazira (EPHL) facility that will bring down sulphur dioxide in flue gas by 25%, and go a long way in checking emissions, the company said on Tuesday.
“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," said Kush, CEO, Essar Power.
Covid-19 and related constraints had posed challenges for the project, both in terms of supply of material, as well as manpower. However, the company said it 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, daytime 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," the company said.
The team involved with the project had put in place an innovative approach, wherein the scrubber was optimized as per the coal quality being supplied, and the emission norms targeted, it added.
EPHL is part of Essar Power, which is 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 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 environment, social and governance (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 ₹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.
