UAIL yet to reach full capacity

Utkal Alumina International Ltd (UAIL), a subsidiary of Aditya Birla owned Hindalco Industries, is yet to reach its full envisaged capacity of 1.5 million tonne per annum (mtpa) after starting of operation in June last year.

So far, the company has managed to achieve 70-75 per cent capacity utilization at its alumina refining unit in Kasipur in south Odisha's Rayagada district.

"The alumina plants usually take around one year to utilise the full capacity. Utkal Alumina will also take another 4-5 months to get there," said a senior officer of the company.

After struggling hard for over two decades, UAIL started its trial production in June 2013 powered by 90 Mw co-generation thermal power plant. Utkal Alumina has captive bauxite mines at Baphilimali spread over Rayagada and Kalahandi districts. The Baphimali mines with a capacity to mine 4.2 million tonne bauxite per year are located 17 km from the alumina refinery site.
 

UAIL intends to send the alumina to the smelting facility of Aditya Aluminium Ltd (AAL) at Lapanga near Sambalpur. The company also has plans to despatch alumina to Hindalco's Mahan aluminum project in Madhya Pradesh.

UAIL has already commenced supplies to AAL plant two months back after obtaining permission from the railway authorities. The Rs 7,000-crore alumina refinery project of UAIL remained in the line of fire of environmentalists and affected locals for nearly two decades.