Hindustan Zinc rolls out first of 180 LNG trucks fleet for internal good movements

The company has planned to invest US$ 1 billion over the next few years towards mitigating climate change impacts.

Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group company that boasts of being the world’s second-largest integrated zinc producer and fifth-largest silver producer, on Thursday rolled out the first fleet of LNG vehicles from its zinc smelter plant at Debari, about 13 kilometres from Udaipur in Rajasthan.

The company had recently entered into a landmark agreement with GreenLine for the acquisition of 180 LNG vehicles dedicated to its internal finished goods movement. GreenLine, a part of Essar Group, is expected to invest Rs 200 crore for deploying LNG-powered trucks for Hindustan Zinc’s road logistics.

Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc, told Autocar Professional that while the LNG vehicles are being rolled out as infrastructure for running them is coming up, it is important to note that it is just a step in between reaching the final goal of the fleet on EV as time progresses.

The development comes even as Hindustan Zinc has already introduced four battery-electric vehicles in its underground mines and plans to introduce more this year.

Misra highlighted that Hindustan Zinc is not looking at cost savings by switching to electric vehicles and LNG trucks compared to diesel vehicles, as they have ensured the costs will remain the same as diesel. However, in terms of emission savings, switching to LNG trucks is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% compared to diesel trucks. Over the company’s large quantities transported annually, this 30% reduction in emissions would amount to around 2000 tonnes of CO2 emissions reduced per year.

Further elaborating on its plans, Hindsutan Zinc officials noted that the deployment of LNG vehicles aligns with the company’s approved SBTi targets to reduce 50% of absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions and further reduce 25% of absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions by FY2030 from the base year FY2020. 

GreenLine stated in a statement that LNG-powered trucks, manufactured by Blue Energy Motors, reduce toxic emissions significantly compared to diesel: CO2 by up to 30%, SOx by up to 100%, NOx by up to 59%, Particulate Matter by up to 91%, and CO by up to 70%. GreenLine has collaborated with multiple organisations to create integrated green logistics ecosystems to make LNG trucking a reality in India, paving the way for widespread adoption of LNG-fueled long-haul trucks by showcasing its immense advantages for corporations.

Investment of US$ 1 billion over the next few years to mitigate climate change impacts
To make its mining operations environment-friendly, Hindustan Zinc has planned to invest US$ 1 billion over the next few years towards mitigating climate change impacts. One of the key long-term goals is to replace all 900 underground mining equipments with electric over the next 5 years as the technology develops to support this transition.