BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) will provide long-term raw material linkage to the upcoming alumina refinery of Hindalco Industries Ltd, a part of Aditya Birla Group, at Kansariguda in Rayagada district.
The alumina refinery of Aditya Aluminum Limited is a greenfield project coming up at an investment of Rs 8,000 crore in two phases. The project will create over 1,000 direct jobs and 4,000 indirect employment opportunities. The company needs bauxite ore for its proposed two-million-tonne alumina refinery and 150 MW captive power plant. The first phase of one million tonnes is expected to be commissioned in 2027 at an investment of Rs 5,500 crore.
OMC managing director Balwant Singh and Hindalco MD Satish Pai on Thursday signed an agreement for the raw material linkage. Earlier this year, the Odisha government introduced a new long-term linkage policy of minerals for industries, facilitated through OMC. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik termed it a significant milestone in the journey of Odisha’s industrial growth and development.
The new raw material linkage policy was a commitment to foster an environment where industries can thrive, innovate, and contribute to the state’s socio-economic fabric, he said. Naveen appealed to the people of Rayagada to provide all support to the refinery project so that work on it can start soon and make visible changes in the lives of locals.
Joining the MoU signing ceremony virtually, chairman of Aditya Birla Group Kumar Mangalam Birla said the Odisha-Hindalco partnership is a symbiotic success story of holistic development in the state that is witnessing rapid industrialisation and has made remarkable progress in several fields.
“The Utkal Alumina plant generated thousands of new jobs and impacted lakhs of people in hundreds of villages through community development initiatives. The second refinery will follow the same development model seeding more opportunities in livelihoods and cascading more socio-economic development,” he added. Industries and MSME Minister Pratap Dev, Chief Secretary PK Jena, Principal Secretary, Industries Hemant Sharma and 5T Secretary VK Pandian were present.