4 months ago
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Establishing a ‘green copper’ facility, successful the aforesaid spot wherever the now-sealed Sterlite copper smelting works successful Thoothukudi was erstwhile functioning, would assistance successful biology remediation of the tract and besides fortify the nation’s copper information by boosting home accumulation done environmentally—sustainable practices successful the future, Vedanta Limited has claimed earlier the Madras High Court.
In a writ petition seeking a absorption to Tamil Nadu authorities to see its caller proposal, the concern conglomerate said, its contiguous connection rests connected newer technologies that were fundamentally antithetic and chiseled from the erstwhile manufacturing process and that it would utilise an environmentally superior process designed to beryllium an exemplar of sustainable and liable industry.
Filing a elaborate affidavit, done its counsel Rahul Balaji, Vedanta Limited besides said: “The caller inaugural involves a important technological overhaul with important fiscal concern aligned with the extremity of technologically precocious operations which volition lend successful achieving a harmonious equilibrium betwixt safeguarding the situation and nationalist health, and fostering economical maturation and employment.”
Copper was a cardinal earthy worldly successful the renewable vigor manufacture arsenic good arsenic the electrical vehicles (EV) assemblage and hence, it was indispensable for the federation to guarantee capable home accumulation without depending overmuch upon imports, the conglomerate said. It highlighted that its caller connection would besides make downstream concern opportunities for the micro, tiny and mean enterprises (MSMEs) successful the region.
What is greenish copper?
It went connected to authorities that ‘green copper’ refers to copper produced with a importantly little c footprint compared to accepted smelting processes. The simplification would beryllium achieved by maximising the usage of recycled copper arsenic input. “Using recycled copper minimises the request for copper ore processing, which was the superior root of slag procreation successful smelting operation,” it added.
Apart from the projected simplification of 15% successful slag generation, astir 40% of reducation was expected successful hazardous discarded procreation too. Through utilisation of 30% recycled input, the projected greenish copper works was projected to execute 34% simplification successful c footprint due to the fact that little fossil substance would beryllium consumed successful the energy-intensive smelting and converting processes, Vedanta claimed.
“Furthermore, round-the-clock renewable vigor volition beryllium utilised for hybrid operations. The suspension of the phosphoric acerb works and adoption of precocious aerial and h2o absorption technologies volition further minimise biology interaction and alteration the institution to nutrient copper cathode with little than 0.9 kg of CO₂ emissions per kg of copper, i.e., astir 50% little than the planetary average,” its affidavit read.
Court order
Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan person directed the High Court Registry to database Vedanta’s latest writ petition connected January 29, 2026 on with a 2019 writ petition filed by biology activistic R. Fatima who had sought a absorption to the State to reconstruct the sealed copper smelting works tract to its archetypal authorities by remediating the harm caused to the ungraded and underground water.
In the meantime, since Additional Government Pleader E. Vijay Anand told the tribunal that Vedanta had truthful acold sent representations regarding its caller connection lone to the Industries and Environment secretaries and not submitted requisite applications earlier the competent authorities, the judges granted liberty to the conglomerate to marque the applications earlier statutory authorities specified arsenic the Pollution Control Board.
“The pendency of this petition shall not travel successful the mode of the petitioner successful moving caller exertion earlier the competent authorities and it volition beryllium unfastened for the authorities to instrumentality a determination thereon,” the archetypal Division Bench clarified.
History of Sterlite plant
Recalling the past of Sterlite, Vedanta said, the copper smelting works commenced its operations astatine the SIPCOT concern analyzable successful Thoothukudi successful 1997 aft obtaining biology clearances successful 1995. During its operational period, the works was a cardinal contributor to the nation’s copper manufacture and met implicit 36% of the nationalist copper requirement. It contributed ₹13,500 crore the nationalist exchequer betwixt 2014 and 2018.
“At the State level, the works contributed astir 1.6% of the State’s GDP and provided implicit 20,000 nonstop and indirect employment opportunities which supported implicit 1 lakh families. However, pursuing orders of this honourable court, which were subsequently upheld by the honourable Supreme Court, the petitioner ceased its operations and the works has remained idle/non-operational since 2018,” it said.
Claiming that the closure had a cascading interaction connected the nation’s copper requirements, resulting successful heightened request and accrued dependence connected imports, Vedanta said, that it was successful this backdrop, it had made a petition to the Industries and Environment Secretaries successful Tamil Nadu to licence a ‘green copper’ works connected the aforesaid tract but lamented that determination was nary effect from the officials for the past 4 months.
