Vedanta submitted an software to the TNPCB on January 9, in search of the CTO, however the board rejected it on January 27
The Tamil Nadu Air pollution Management Board (TNPCB) has refused to problem a ‘consent to function’ (CTO) to multinational enterprise conglomerate Vedanta Ltd for establishing a ‘inexperienced copper’ plant on the Thoothukudi Sterlite plant premises, which has remained non-functional since 2018. The corporate has, due to this fact, approached the Madras Excessive Court docket with a plea to quash the rejection order.
Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G Arul Murugan on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) directed Extra Advocate Basic (AAG) J Ravindran to get directions by February 26 concerning the structure of an knowledgeable committee to check the opportunity of allowing the ‘inexperienced copper’ facility. Vedanta submitted an software to the TNPCB on January 9, in search of the CTO, however the board rejected it on January 27.
Assailing the rejection order, senior counsel Satish Parasaran, assisted by Rahul Balaji, contended that the appliance had been rejected in an arbitrary method with out offering advance discover or a chance for listening to to his shopper. “This displays a pre-determined and prejudicial method in the direction of the petitioner and due to this fact, the rejection order is ex-facie arbitrary, unlawful, and untenable,” he argued.
As a way to guarantee a good and neutral adjudication of Vedanta’s purposes/proposal for establishing the ‘inexperienced copper’ facility, the counsel urged the Bench to order the structure of a court-monitored multidisciplinary knowledgeable committee, comprising representatives of the State authorities as properly as the Centre, together with impartial consultants in related fields, to look at the proposal independently, comprehensively, and scientifically.
Till the disposal of its fundamental writ petition, Vedanta additionally sought an interim path to the TNPCB to allow the petitioner to have restricted and conditional entry to the Sterlite Copper facility in Thoothukudi in order that it might perform preparatory and operational actions for the scientific evaluation. The interim actions is also supervised, monitored, and managed by a court-appointed committee, it mentioned.
Then again, opposing the writ petition filed by Vedanta, the AAG mentioned: “They’re making an attempt to pour outdated wine into a brand new bottle and name it inexperienced copper.” He mentioned, the corporate should have gone on statutory attraction towards the board’s order as a substitute of submitting a writ petition. He additionally acknowledged that safety of atmosphere was extra essential than the financial points, which the corporate was stressing upon.
Nevertheless, Parasaran mentioned solely a committee comprising consultants from the Union Ministry of Surroundings and Forests, the Central Air pollution Management Board, and different such our bodies would be capable of give impartial thought to the proposal. “If the consultants say that the trade ought to perish, let it perish. But when they are saying it may be revived, let it’s revived. Let the TNPCB not method the problem with a stone wall,” he added.
Vedanta’s affidavit
In its affidavit, Vedanta contended that the TNPCB’s rejection order doesn’t replicate any real statutory analysis of the ‘inexperienced copper’ proposal, however rests on a basically “flawed” premise that previous regulatory actions and earlier judicial proceedings function as an faulty assumption that previous operations foreclose even the consideration of a re-engineered and environmentally superior facility.
The corporate claimed that the TNPCB had didn’t take observe the important nationwide as properly as international demand for copper, its standing as a strategic useful resource, and the rising development of useful resource nationalism. It mentioned, the inexperienced copper’ facility would assist increase home copper manufacturing, whereas prioritising sustainability for the reason that eco-friendly course of could be distinct from earlier copper-smelting processes.
Vedanta additionally identified that it had filed a writ petition in January this yr in search of a path to the State authorities to think about its ‘inexperienced copper’ proposal, which might utilise an environmentally superior course of designed to be an exemplar of sustainable and accountable trade. Whereas passing interim orders in that petition, the courtroom had permitted the corporate to submit purposes to statutory authorities.
Due to this fact, Vedanta had utilized to the TNPCB for the issuance of a CTO on January 9 however it was rejected on January 27, forcing the group to file a contemporary writ petition difficult the rejection order.
What’s ‘inexperienced copper’?
Explaining the advantages of ‘inexperienced copper,’ the corporate instructed the courtroom that the time period refers to copper produced with a considerably decrease carbon footprint compared with typical smelting processes. The discount could be achieved by maximising using recycled copper as enter. “Utilizing recycled copper minimises the necessity for copper focus processing, which was the first supply of slag era in smelting operation,” it mentioned.
Other than the projected discount of 15 per cent in slag era, roughly 40 per cent of discount was anticipated in hazardous waste era, too. By way of the utilisation of 30 per cent recycled enter, the proposed inexperienced copper plant was projected to attain 34 per cent discount in carbon footprint as a result of much less fossil gasoline could be consumed within the energy-intensive smelting and changing processes, Vedanta claimed.
“Moreover, round the clock renewable vitality shall be utilised for hybrid operations. The suspension of the phosphoric acid plant and adoption of superior air and water administration applied sciences will additional minimise environmental impression and allow the corporate to provide copper cathode with lower than 0.9 kg of CO₂ emissions per kg of copper, i.e., about 50 per cent lower than the worldwide common,” its affidavit learn.
Revealed on February 11, 2026
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