Bhubaneswar: National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), a leading public sector aluminium producer, is all set to double its existing aluminium smelting capacity from 0.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to around 1 MTPA by December 2030, Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) Brijendra Kumar Singh said on Friday.The proposed 0.5 MTPA brownfield expansion of NALCO’s aluminium smelter at Angul in Odisha is progressing as planned, with the company targeting its commissioning by the end of December 2030.
The NALCO CMD was addressing a media connet event along with Pankaj Kumar Sharma, Director (Production), Jagdish Arora, Director (Projects & Technical), Dr. Tapas Kumar Pattanayak, Director (HR), Shri Abhay Kumar Behuria, Director (Finance) and Anil Kumar Singh, Director (Commercial). The event was conducted by Executive Director Corporate Communication Asutosh Rath.
CMD Singh said the company was currently preparing the Detailed Project Report (DPR), which is expected to be completed by January or February 2027. Following approval of the DPR by the company’s Board, NALCO will initiate the process of placing orders for equipment and construction packages, which is expected to take around eight months.The expansion project will require approximately 300 acres of land, including around 80 acres of private land. Singh said the land acquisition process was progressing and the company expected the required land to be available by March 2027. Groundwork for the project is likely to commence in January or February 2028.He said the project would take approximately three years to complete after the commencement of construction, with December 2030 set as the target for commissioning.
NALCO has entered into an agreement with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) for licensing its proprietary aluminium smelting technology. The partnership is expected to facilitate the adoption of globally proven and energy-efficient production processes, strengthening the technological foundation of the expanded smelter.
To meet the additional power requirements of the expanded facility, NALCO has partnered with NLC India Limited through a 50:50 joint venture to establish a 4×270 MW (1,080 MW) captive thermal power plant. The company is also planning to integrate 200-250 MW of renewable energy into the project’s overall power ecosystem.
NALCO’s expansion strategy is further supported by the ongoing fifth stream of its alumina refinery at Damanjodi. According to Singh, the additional refinery capacity is expected to generate sufficient alumina to meet the requirements of the expanded smelter while also creating surplus production capacity.
Beyond the ongoing expansion programme, NALCO is exploring opportunities to establish additional greenfield aluminium projects in line with the national objectives of value addition, industrial self-reliance and manufacturing growth.These initiatives, Singh said, would create substantial employment opportunities, strengthen downstream industries, promote regional economic development and contribute significantly to the growth of India’s aluminium sector.
Highlighting the company’s financial achievements, Singh said NALCO had scripted a historic milestone by recording its best-ever half-yearly financial performance since its inception.Demonstrating robust operational efficiency and strong business fundamentals, the company achieved record-breaking performance across all major financial parameters during the first half of FY 2026-27.
NALCO reported its highest-ever total income of Rs. 11,143 crore during the first half of the financial year, registering a growth of 33 per cent over the corresponding period of the previous year.Its EBITDA surged by 50 per cent to an all-time high of Rs. 5,539 crore, while profit before tax (PBT) increased by 55 per cent to a record Rs. 5,160 crore. Profit after tax (PAT) stood at Rs. 3,837 crore, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 54 per cent.For the quarter ended September 2026, NALCO registered a 28 per cent increase in net profit to Rs. 1,835 crore, compared with Rs. 1,443 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year.The company’s total income from operations during the second quarter of FY 2026-27 also increased by 26 per cent to Rs. 5,419 crore, underscoring its sustained operational excellence and strong market position.On the operational front, NALCO recorded its highest-ever half-yearly aluminium cast metal production of 2.35 lakh tonnes. The company also achieved its highest-ever cumulative domestic sales of alumina and aluminium metal, reaffirming its strong position in the country’s aluminium industry.
