Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Nov 9:

Public sector aluminium major National Aluminium Company (Nalco) will set up a new alumina refinery with one million tonne capacity at Damanjodi in Odisha’s Koraput district.

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The navratna public sector undertaking (PSU) will be investing Rs 6000 crore for the refinery apart from an additional investment of Rs 2000 crore for the development of Utkal D and E coal blocks.

Nalco will be soon allocated Pottangi bauxite mines for the new refinery, informed Union Mines secretary Balwinder Kumar who accompanied by Nalco chairman and managing director (CMD) T K Chand met Chief  Minister Naveen Patnaik here today and discussed the matter with him.

Kumar said: "Nalco will set up a new alumina refinery at Damanjodi. The new refinery will have a capacity of one million tonne. To meet the refinery’s requirement Nalco would be allotted Pottangi mines.”

"Pottangi mines have been already recommended by the Odisha government in favour of Nalco. The Union Mines secretary said the allocation would be done within a month", said Chand.

"Nalco would be investing Rs 6,000 crore on the refinery. Further, we will invest Rs 2000 crore on development of Utkal D and E coal blocks,” added Chand.

Both Kumar and Chand had called on the chief secretary G C Pati before meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The state government recently extended the validity of Nalco's Panchpatmalli lease in Koraput district up to 2020.