With aluminium projects of three bigwigs ? Vedanta Resources, Aditya Aluminium and RSB Metaltech ? stuttering due to raw material problems, the Orissa government has decided to step in. Chief secretary BK Patnaik will review the status of these projects, which together entail an investment of R 30,000 crore, later this month.
Vedanta Resources, which has already created facilities for production of alumina and aluminium at Lanjigarh and Jharsuguda, has had to shut down its plants due to want of bauxite, a key raw material for aluminium. The Orissa Mining Corporation?s (OMC) Niyamgiri mines, which was supposed to supply bauxite for the Lanjigarh plant, is caught in legal battles.
Projects of Aditya Aluminium and Jamsedpur-based RSB Metaltech are stuck due to lack of raw material linkages. These two companies propose to set up alumina refineries at Kansarguda and Kalyansinghpur. Aditya Aluminium is setting up its smelter at Jharsuguda, RSB plans a smelter project in Dhenkanal.