Italian delegation shows investment interest in Odisha Aluminium Park

A high-level delegation from Italy on Saturday showed interest in investing in the upcoming Aluminium Park at Angul in Odisha.

The Italian team led by Consul General of Italy Damiano Francovigh participated in the Indo-Italian Metal Hub seminar organised by the Aluminium Association of India (AAI) here.

Francovigh stressed on the improvement of bilateral relations between India and Italy.

"Strengthening economic cooperation between India and Eastern India will go a long way in improving relations between Italy and India. The Indo-Italian Metal Hub seminar titled 'Aluminium Age' is also an effort in that direction," he said.

The Italian team included representatives of the Italian Aluminium Association and CEOs and senior executives of different Italian organisations, while the Indian team comprised Nalco and Odisha government officials, business houses and different agencies. Both sides discussed the way forward to collaborate in the Aluminium sector.

Odisha Industries Minister Niranjan Pujari said: "Odisha offers the perfect ecosystem to be the hub of aluminium sector and we are committed to forge strong economic tie with Italy. The molten aluminium can be directly obtained from Nalco when the Angul Aluminium Park becomes operational."

Industries Secretary Sanjeev Chopra also strongly pitched the upcoming Angul Aluminium Park.

"This visit by the Italian delegation team has come at a very opportune time as the future looks bright for investors looking at investing in the aluminium sector in Odisha. The potential for collaboration is immense,a said Chopra.

"The response to the Angul Aluminium Park is unprecedented and will become a major centre in the world for aluminium downstream activities. The Park will rival the best in the world and Nalco will be there to provide concessions and hand-holding support to organisations," he added.

Nalco Executive Director S.K. Dash said: "We welcome the visiting delegation team from Italy and are ready to walk the extra mile to make Angul Aluminium Park an attractive investment destination for businesses."

--IANS

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