Following is an excerpt from a report in Business Standard.

National Aluminium Company (Nalco) is exploring the possibility of setting up a greenfield aluminium smelter and captive power plant near Jharsuguda, western Orissa at an investment of more than Rs 14,000 crore.

The capacity of the proposed smelter is pegged at 5 lakh tonnes per annum with a captive generation facility of 1,250 mw. The alumina required for the project is likely to be sourced from Nalco’s existing refinery at Damanjodi.

Engineer’s India (EIL), which has been appointed the consultant, has found the project technically feasible.

Jharsuguda is being chosen as the possible site for the plant as it is in the vicinity of the IB valley coal reserves. While the company has the required technology, land acquisition is expected to be trouble-free as most part of the identified patch is government land and barren.

… "Yes, we have plans to set up a smelter and captive power plant in Jharsuguda to add about 9 lakh tonne alumina capacity which is exported annually now. The project’s fate does not hinge on the availability of water," B L Bagra, director (finance), Nalco, told Business Standard.

Meanwhile, the state-owned Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Orissa (Ipicol) has forwarded the company’s application for water from IB river to the water resources department.