State-run National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO) has signed a technology licensing agreement with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) to deploy the UAE company’s DX+ Ultra aluminium smelting technology for its proposed 0.5-million-tonne-per-annum (MTPA) brownfield expansion at Angul, Odisha.
The technology partnership is a key step in NALCO’s expansion programme, under which the company plans to add about 0.5 MTPA of aluminium capacity. Along with its existing capacity, the project will enable NALCO to move towards an overall aluminium production capacity of around 1 MTPA.
Under the agreement signed in Dubai, EGA will provide NALCO with the technology licence, know-how, designs and technical information required to implement the DX+ Ultra technology. The UAE company will also provide technical support during various stages of project implementation.
The DX+ Ultra technology is a high-amperage aluminium smelting technology designed to support higher productivity and improved energy performance. NALCO expects its deployment to help develop a more efficient and competitive smelter while optimising capital and operating costs.
NALCO Chairman and Managing Director Brijendra Pratap Singh said the company expects the Angul expansion using EGA’s technology to become “one of the most efficient aluminium smelters in India.”
“The adoption of an advanced and efficient technology for NALCO’s smelter expansion will not only support the company’s growth and expansion plans but will also strengthen India’s aluminium ecosystem,” Singh said. He added that the expansion would contribute to economic growth while supporting greater environmental efficiency.
The agreement was signed on behalf of NALCO by Biju K, Chief General Manager (Projects), and for EGA by Abdalla Zarouni, Acting Executive Vice President-Midstream. NALCO CMD Singh and EGA Chief Executive Officer Abdulnasser Bin Kalban were present at the signing.
NALCO said the expansion is aimed at improving technological efficiency, productivity and sustainability in aluminium production and adding capacity to meet growing demand from strategic and emerging sectors of the Indian economy.