As India looks to fill the global leadership vacuum in the fight for climate change created by the Trump regime, sustainability practices and policies by conglomerates in the country have finally come under the cosh. ‘Going green’ for Indian corporates can no longer just be a clever footnote in the company manifesto. A change of narrative in corporate social responsibility is the need of the hour.
In this regard, Gautam Adani, founder of the diversified conglomerate Adani Group, is leading from the front with sustainable, green and inclusive development. So, have we found the working model for integrating environment protection, conservation, and energy efficiency in Adani Group’s proactive operational approach?
A focus on the future
According to India’s Paris climate change commitments, the country is supposed to derive 40% of its electricity needs from clean, non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. Furthermore, a target of installing 100 GW of solar energy capacity by 2022 has been set in stone.
If you think such a scenario spells doom for coal and power giants like Adani, then think again. Adani Group’s renewable energy arm, Adani Green Energy Ltd., is already India’s largest solar power generation and manufacturing company with ambitious plans to install 10000 MW solar power capacity by 2022. And with India also poised to take down 14 GW of its coal producing capacity off the grid, Adani’s Australian Carmichael coal mine will aim to boost India’s energy security without jeopardising either country’s climate change policies.
Seeking harmony with the environment
India’s largest port at Mundra, which is owned by Adani Ports and SEZ (APSEZ), has gradually built a sustainability framework that promises to be the greenest infrastructure project in the world. Aware of the endangerment to mangroves, creeks and aquatic life endemic to Mundra, Adani Ports led by Gautam Adani has overseen replenishment of the biodiversity without hampering the productivity of the asset.
Over 2885 hectares of mangroves have been afforested, another 1254 hectares have been conserved, and 14 lakh terrestrial trees have been planted in a bid to protect the area by the group. Moreover, 30 km of separate road stretches cutting across Adani properties have been built to allow the local fishermen community to thrive.
Little innovations can have a great impact
At the Mundra port, 50 RTGs (Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes) for stacking or grounding containers used to consume 5 million litres of diesel annually. Until APSEZ electrified them all. This innovation has not only brought down the carbon footprint massively, but also increased the terminal efficiency by leaps and bounds.
Adani Group also plans to run the entire flotilla of marine assets, from tugs to dredgers, on clean fuel, and by 2018, will run all the APSEZ ports and townships on a 100% renewable energy mix. The Mundra port already has a renewable energy capacity of 28 MW. Without blowing its trumpet, the conglomerate is on its way to help the nation fulfill its sustainable development promises to the world. And to lead by example, Gautam Adani has installed a solar rooftop power plant at his residence to generate solar power for daily electricity requirement of the premises. Charity begins at home indeed.
With all the promise of nation building via economic development thrown at us by large corporations, it is refreshing to see the Adani Group defining the narrative for holistic progress and green energy in India. Nation building is much more than a fashionable tagline. You have to walk the talk to contribute to building a great nation.
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