Odisha: NALCO plans expansion of Angul smelter, new thermal power plant with Rs 30,000 crore investment

Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ places strong emphasis on infrastructure development, overall economic growth, and achieving net-zero emissions as key priorities, NALCO’s CMD Brijendra Pratap Singh said on Monday, adding that in alignment with this vision, “we are planning an expansion of 0.5 million tonnes and are also exploring the adoption of green power”. 

The chief of Aluminium major NALCO told IANS here that as part of their 2030 plan, “we are proposing an expansion of Rs 30,000 crore, which includes a 0.5 million tonne smelter and a 1,080 MW thermal power plant. These are the two major units we are planning”.

“The preparation of the DPR has already begun, and the appointment of a consultant, who will prepare the DPR, is expected to be completed this month. We aim to obtain Board approval for the DPR by July or August this year,” he added.

To cater to the growing demand in domestic market, NALCO intends to expand its aluminium smelting capacity by 0.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) at its Angul smelter in Odisha through brownfield expansion. The company has lined up a Rs 30,000 crore of investment for a new 0.5 million tonne aluminium smelter and a 1,080 MW power plant.

The project expected to be completed in 2030 

The proposed expansion will deploy best-in-class, environmentally sustainable technology paralleling global benchmarks with the project expected to be completed in 2030.

When asked about NALCO's three-year vision for capacity expansion, Singh said that the first priority is the commissioning of the fifth stream expansion of the Alumina plant, along with the start of operations at the Pottangi mines.

“This is the primary target we have set. We plan to begin the commissioning process for the fifth stream in June this year, and operations at the Pottangi mines are also scheduled to start in June. Regarding downstream and value-added products, we are planning to set up a wire rod mill with a capacity of 60,000 tonnes,” he told IANS.

In answer to a question, he stated that NALCO has an advantage over its private sector rivals Vedanta and Hindalco as it has its own bauxite and coal mines which reduce the cost of raw materials and provide very good backward integration. This gives the company a competitive edge, he added.