Jindal Power’s Etalin Hydro Electric Power Company Ltd has been announced as the winner of the 2015 Global Sustainability Award by the Energy and Environment Foundation, an Indian NGO based in Delhi.

The award recognises the company’s outstanding achievements in the field of sustainable development.

Mr M M Madan, president and CEO at the hydropower division of Jindal Power Ltd, received the award on behalf of the company from Ms Meenakshi Lekhi, a member of the Indian parliament, during the 2015 World Renewable Energy Technology Congress, which was held in New Delhi in August.

“This award is a testimony of our endeavors and commitments for achieving the objective of sustainable development,” said Mr Madan.

“With our commitment to sustainable hydropower development, we hope to take a lead in highlighting the value of a sustainable approach to hydropower development in the country.”

The Etalin Hydro Electric Power Company Ltd is a joint venture of Jindal Power Ltd and the Hydro Power Development Corporation of Arunachal Pradesh Ltd, a state government-owned enterprise.

The company is currently developing two hydropower projects in the Dibang Valley in the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh: Etalin (3,097 MW), a run-of-river plant which is the largest hydropower project currently in development in India, and Anonpani (22 MW).

The Etalin project has achieved a number of milestones recently. The environmental impact assessment is currently under consideration by the federal Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC), having already received approval from state agencies.

The environmental flow requirement study was carried out by the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, and has already been accepted by MoEF & CC.

Jindal Power Ltd is also developing the Kamala (1,800 MW) and Attunli (680 MW) hydropower projects, also both in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.

Last year, Jindal Power Ltd signed a sustainability partnership with the International Hydropower Association (IHA) to promote sustainable practices in the development of the Etalin project, which was the company’s first hydropower scheme.

The company has already received training from IHA sustainability specialists, and there are plans to implement the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol in the Etalin project’s continued development.

“Jindal Steel & Power Limited always believes in inclusive growth, taking along the communities around its plants, endeavouring to improve the quality of life of the people in the areas it operates in,” Mr Madan explained.

The Energy and Environment Foundation’s annual Global Environment Awards recognise both commercial organisations and academic institutions in India which have demonstrably made a positive impact on the environment.

The selection process includes presenting a case to a panel of judges, who also undertake site visits to the shortlisted projects.