Vedanta chalks out $4.6 bn expansion for Jharsuguda unit

Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL), currently setting up a 0.5 million tonne aluminium smelter and 675 Mw captive power plant at Jharsuguda in Orissa, has chalked out massive 4.6 billion dollar expansion for the project.

Following the expansion, the capacity of the smelter will go up to 1.75 million tonne of aluminium per annum at an investment of 3.6 billion dollar (about Rs 17,640 crore).

Similarly, the CPP capacity will be increased to 1215 Mw at an investment of 1 billion dollar (Rs 4900 crore).

The expansion plan is in sync with the Vedanta group’s plan to attain aluminium production capacity of more than 1 million tonne by 2010. M Siddiqi, the whole time director and chief executive officer (CEO), Vedanta Aluminium met the industry secretary A P Padhi recently and discussed about the proposed expansion of the Jharsuguda smelter, official sources said.

Company sources said, the Jharsuguda smelter is operating at 0.5 million tonne capacity at present.

The company has applied to the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) for necessary clearances and is likely to seek the approval of the Orissa government for the expansion plan shortly, sources added.

Though the state government signed MoU with the Sterlite Industries Limited earlier in 2003 for setting up a 1million tonne alumina refinery at Lanjigarh along with a 100 mw power plant, subsequently, the company came up with a proposal to set up a smelter plant of 2.5 lakh tonne per annum and a captive power plant of 675 MW at Bhurkhamunda in Jharsuguda district.

Accordingly, it signed a fresh MoU with Vedanta Alumina (now Vedanta Aluminium Limited) for setting up a refinery, a smelter plant and a captive power plant at two different locations in the state on 5 April 2007.

Meanwhile, the company has completed about 60 percent of the area grading activities. Besides, the order for complete building structure fabrication, pot cell and super structure has also been placed with Chalico. While Outotec has been roped in as the technology supplier for GAP and rodding shop, ABB and ARIVA will supply the rectifier.