Thaindian News

Bhubaneswar, July 22 (IANS) The officers’ association of the state-owned National Aluminium Compnay Ltd (NALCO) Thursday expressed its concern over the delay of its expansion plans in Orissa.
NALCO, in spite of its acute coal crisis, supplied surplus power to the state whenever it got any chance to do so and the cordial relationship between the state and NALCO for last 29 years has set an example for other industries in the state, association president B.C Ray and general secretary A.K. Sahu said in a statement.

However NALCO’s proposal to set up the aluminium smelter and power plant at Brajarajnagar in the state’s Jharsuguda district has remained almost a non-starter although a high-level clearance authority headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved the proposal in November last year, they said.

“Though other private sectors were allowed to set up plants in the district, NALCO, having surplus alumina and expertise in aluminium production, was debarred from setting up the plant,” they said.

Highlighting the investment the company has planned in the state, they said Nalco “has an open mind to invest more than Rs.16,500 crore”.

The project will have directly employ 4,000 and provide indirect employment of 10,000 people.

“The revenue contribution to state and central exchequer will be more than Rs.300 crore and Rs. 2,000 crore respectively,” they said.

A delegation representing the association met state Energy Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak earlier this week and requested him to take necessary steps in this regard, the statement said.

NALCO, headquartered in Bhubaneswar, is Asia’s largest integrated aluminium producer.

It is also a major player in bauxite mining, alumina refining and smelting with additional business interests in power generation and rail and port operations.