TNPCB rejects Vedanta’s ‘Green Copper’ proposal at Thoothukudi Sterlite plant; company moves Madras High Court

TNPCB denies Vedanta's 'Green Copper' proposal; company appeals to Madras High Court for reconsideration and expert committee review.

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has refused to issue a ‘Consent to Operate’ (CTO) to multinational business conglomerate Vedanta Limited for establishing a ‘Green Copper’ plant on the Thoothukudi Sterlite plant premises, which has remained non-functional since 2018. The company has, therefore, approached the Madras High Court with a plea to quash the rejection order.

Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan on Wednesday (February 11, 2026) directed Additional Advocate General (AAG) J. Ravindran to get instructions by February 26 regarding the constitution of an expert committee to study the possibility of permitting the ‘Green Copper’ facility. Vedanta submitted an application to the TNPCB on January 9, seeking the CTO, but the Board rejected it on January 27.

Assailing the rejection order, senior counsel Satish Parasaran, assisted by Rahul Balaji, contended that the application had been rejected in an arbitrary manner without providing advance notice or an opportunity for hearing to his client. “This reflects a pre-determined and prejudicial approach towards the petitioner and therefore, the rejection order is ex-facie arbitrary, illegal, and untenable,” he argued.

In order to ensure a fair and impartial adjudication of Vedanta’s applications/proposal for establishing the ‘Green Copper’ facility, the counsel urged the Bench to order the constiution of a court-monitored multidisciplinary expert committee, comprising representatives of the State government as well as the Centre, along with independent experts in relevant fields, to examine the proposal independently, comprehensively, and scientifically.

Until the disposal of its main writ petition, Vedanta also sought an interim direction to the TNPCB to permit the petitioner to have limited and conditional access to the Sterlite Copper facility in Thoothukudi so that it could carry out preparatory and operational activities for the scientific assessment. The interim activities could also be supervised, monitored, and controlled by a court-appointed committee, it said.

On the other hand, opposing the writ petition filed by Vedanta, the AAG said: “They are trying to pour old wine into a new bottle and call it Green Copper.” He said, the company ought to have gone on statutory appeal against the board’s order instead of filing a writ petition. He also stated that protection of environment was more important than the economic aspects, which the company was stressing upon.