Indian Aluminium Co (Indal) has plans to upgrade and expand the capacity of its Hirakud smelter in Orissa from the present 30,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) to 57,000 tpa. According to Indal’s President & CEO, Mr SK Tamotia, the expansion project would cost Rs.230 crore, which would be brought in from internal resources.

Technology inputs to improve cast coil roll-ability at the Hirakud continuous caster have already been implemented, while other expansion work would commence shortly and would be completed by 31 March 2003.

The alumina produced at the Hirakud smelter would be used for value addition in Indal’s other downstream plants.

Presently, Indal has 2 refineries at Muri in Jharkhand and Belgaum in Karnataka, an extrusion plant at Alupuram in Kerala, a sheet plant at Taloja and a foil plant at Kalwa, both in Maharashtra, and a cold rolling mill at Belur in West Bengal.