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Vedanta progresses with aluminium smelter project
Venugopal Pillai
Vedanta Alumina, part of the Vedanta Resources (Sterlite) group, has begun pre-project work on its proposed greenfield mega aluminium smelter in Orissa.
The company, in mid-September, invited expressions of interest for civil work, infrastructure (building, roads, drainage, sewerage systems, boundary wall etc.) and area grading of around 350 ha. The proposed smelter costing Rs 7,000 crore ($1.6 billion) would have capacity of 5 lakh tpa and would be supported by a captive power plant of around 1,000 mw.
Located at Bhurkumunda in Jharsuguda district of Orissa, Vedanta's smelter is targeted to come up in five years, in two phases. According to highly-placed officials in Vedanta Alumina, in phase-I, to be completed within two years, aluminium capacity of 2.5 lakh tpa would be created. Phase-II would follow, taking smelting capacity to 5 lakh tpa in two years thereafter. Physical work on the project is expected to begin next January.
Vedanta Alumina, in February 2005, had first proposed to set up a greenfield aluminium smelter in Orissa that would use alumina from its upcoming 1.4 million tpa alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district. On full commissioning, the proposed aluminium smelter will require 10 lakh tonne of alumina per year, going by industry standards.
As of today, this would be the largest aluminium smelter in India, surpassing the upcoming 4.6 lakh tpa smelter of National Aluminium Co., also in Orissa.
Once commissioned, the aggregate aluminium smelting capacity of the Vedanta Resources group - including Bharat Aluminium Co., Madras Aluminium Co. and Vedanta Alumina - would be close to 10 lakh (1 million) tpa.
Balco is in the midst of expanding the capacity of its Korba smelter in Chhattisgarh from 1 lakh tpa to 3.5 lakh tpa, supported by a captive power plant of 540 mw. The project is on schedule with commissioning expected by March 2006. As of August 2005, Balco had completed the construction of 216 out of the total 288 electrolytic pots, with 50 pots commissioned. Madras Aluminium Co., based in Tamil Nadu, has an aluminium smelting capacity of around 35,000 tpa.
Meanwhile, the 1.4 million tpa Lanjigarh alumina refinery is progressing as per schedule and is likely to be commissioned by March 2007.
[26 September 2005]
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