Sterlite Copper, whose 4-lakh-tonne smelter in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, has been lying shut for over two years, is now pleading to the State government to allow it to operate its 160 MW power plant.
In letters written recently to the State Chief Minister and Electricity Minister, Sterlite Copper pointed out that the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) had clearly told the Madras High Court that it had no objections to the power plant operating, “as it is not linked to the copper smelter”.
The smelter has been lying shut since April 9, 2018, when the TNPCB shut it in on environmental concerns. Sterlite Copper, a unit of Vedanta Ltd, says the plant fully complies with all environmental regulations. “Not even once have we been served a notice on non-compliance in the last five years,” Pankaj Kumar, CEO of Sterlite Copper, told BusinessLine.
