Despite facing raw material crunch, Vedanta group today said it plans to raise the capacity of lanjigarh Alumina refinery to 6 mtpa in phases, with a total investment of Rs 10,000 crore.
It also plans to utilise the full capacity of its Jharsuguda smelter, which is producing just about a fourth of its potential. “Doubling of the alumina refinery capacity from 1 mtpa to 2 mtpa would be done within a year of getting all the clearances,” Vedanta Resources Chairman Anil Agarwal told reporters after meeting Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Raising the capacity further to 6 mtpa would depend on availability of bauxite, a key raw material for making alumina, he said. The company, which had invested about Rs 52,000 crore for the project nearly a decade ago, will be putting in another Rs 10,000 crore for capacity expansion, he added.