National Aluminium Company (Nalco), on Tuesday, said it was investing Rs.7,500 crore as part of third phase brownfield expansion at its existing facilities in Odisha.
Addressing the 31st annual meeting of the company, Nalco Chairman and Managing Director B. L. Bagra said, “Detailed project report (DPR) for adding one more stream in the existing alumina refinery is being prepared. The capacity of the stream will be enhanced to one million tonnes per annum (mtpa) with an investment of around Rs.4,000 crore.”
Present upgradation of fourth stream of the company’s alumina refinery at Damanjodi in Odisha’s Koraput district, involving an investment of Rs.409 crore, would take its capacity from 21 lakh tonnes to 22.75 lakh tonnes per annum while that of bauxite mines from 6.3 million tonnes to 6.8 million tonnes per annum.
“The project is scheduled to be commissioned in the course of the current year,” Mr. Bagra said.
Similarly, smelter pot lines, operating at 180 KA [kiloampere, a unit of electrical current] for the last two-and-half decades, is being enhanced to 220 KA, at an outlay of Rs.900 crore. The capacity of the plant would be enhanced by 1.07 lakh tonnes to 5.67 lakh tonnes.
The CMD said the proposed 500 MW captive power plant would primarily meet the power requirement for the technology upgradation of smelter potlines. “Project cost of captive power plant capacity augmentation is estimated at Rs.2,522 crore.”
Under its ongoing expansion programme, Utkal-E coal block project is being developed at an estimated cost of Rs.338 crore. “It has a mineable reserve of around 67.49 million tonnes. Almost all statutory clearances have been obtained. Acquisition of land and construction of rehabilitation colony are in progress,” he said.
On Nalco’s corporate plans, he said the company was planning to set up a Rs.4,500-crore alumina refinery in Gujarat with 10 lakh tonnes capacity. “Preparation of DPR has been taken up.”
Similarly, the company is planning a Rs.16,000-crore new smelter in Western Odisha for which it is in talks with the State government.
He also elaborated on the company’s plans for setting up a 1.4 mtpa alumina refinery in Andhra Pradesh, Rs.11,500-crore worth nuclear plant at Kakrapar in Gujarat, and a Rs.274-crore wind power project in Andhra Pradesh.
