THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
SAMBALPURR, JANUARY 27, 2026
Reinforcing its deep and enduring partnership with
Odisha, Hindalco Industries Ltd, the metals flagship of the Aditya Birla Group,
on Tuesday announced a major expansion of its aluminium operations in the
State, underscoring its focus on large-scale investments, local employment,
community development and value-added manufacturing. The company unveiled plans
for a ₹21,000-crore smelter expansion with a capacity addition of 3.6 lakh
tonnes per annum, and commissioned a 1.7 lakh-tonne-per-annum Flat Rolled
Products (FRP) and battery-grade aluminium foil manufacturing facility,
developed at an investment of ₹4,500 crore.
The projects were inaugurated by the Odisha Chief
Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, at the Aditya Aluminium complex in Sambalpur,
marking a significant milestone in the State’s industrial growth and India’s
aluminium value chain.
The newly commissioned FRP and battery-grade
aluminium foil facility — India’s first of its kind — will play a critical role
in indigenising key raw materials for lithium-ion batteries, supporting up to
100 GWh of cell manufacturing capacity. Integrated with the FRP complex, the
facility establishes a seamless aluminium value chain within Odisha, spanning
primary metal production to advanced applications in electric mobility, energy
storage, defence, packaging and renewable energy. With nearly 40 per cent of
flat-rolled aluminium currently imported, the expansion is expected to
substantially reduce import dependence while strengthening domestic
manufacturing capabilities.
The proposed smelter expansion will also be among
the first in India to partially operate on round-the-clock renewable energy
(RE-RTC), reaffirming Hindalco’s commitment to sustainability alongside scale
and efficiency. With sustained investments across bauxite mining, alumina
refining, aluminium smelting and downstream manufacturing, Odisha has emerged
as the fulcrum of India’s aluminium ecosystem, playing a pivotal role in
enhancing the nation’s manufacturing depth and self-reliance.
These projects form part of Hindalco’s broader
growth capital expenditure programme, with nearly ₹37,000 crore earmarked for
Odisha across upstream and downstream aluminium operations. The State’s
investments constitute a significant share of the company’s overall growth
capex of ₹55,000 crore planned across India.
The Chief Minister’s visit highlighted the strategic
importance of the projects for Odisha’s industrial expansion, employment
generation and contribution to India’s clean energy transition. Majhi
appreciated Hindalco’s sustained emphasis on local employment, skill
development and value addition, and noted the role of such investments in
positioning Odisha as a key hub for advanced manufacturing and clean-energy
materials.
Commenting on the occasion, Aditya Birla Group Chairman
Kumar Mangalam Birla said, “Odisha has been integral to our industrial journey.
Through Hindalco, we are building a strong aluminium ecosystem that combines
scale, value addition and sustainability, creating long-term economic and
social value for the State.”
Hindalco Industries Ltd. Managing Director Satish
Pai said the FRP expansion and smelter growth at Sambalpur deepen Odisha’s
presence across the aluminium value chain, from primary metal to advanced
applications such as battery materials. “This integrated ecosystem drives value
addition, employment and industrial depth within the State,” he said.
Over the past 15 years, Hindalco has invested more
than ₹30,700 crore in Odisha, developing one of India’s most integrated
aluminium ecosystems. Its operations span bauxite mining, the Kansariguda
alumina refinery, primary aluminium smelting at Aditya Aluminium, and
downstream manufacturing of specialised materials such as white fused alumina,
underscoring the company’s long-term commitment to the State.
Hindalco’s operations currently provide employment
to nearly 23,000 people in Odisha, while the next phase of projects is expected
to generate over 15,000 additional jobs, further strengthening the region’s
industrial and social ecosystem. With an additional investment of around ₹37,000
crore planned in the coming years, the expansion is set to create significant
opportunities for local youth and skilled workers.
These sustained efforts in job creation have been
recognised by the Government of Odisha, which recently conferred the
“Employment Excellence – Star Employer” Award on the Aditya Birla Group. At
Aditya Aluminium in Sambalpur, over 90 per cent of the workforce is drawn from
within the State, reflecting Hindalco’s “Local to Global” ethos of nurturing
home-grown talent to meet world-class benchmarks.
Beyond industrial operations, Hindalco’s commitment
to Odisha extends to wide-ranging community development initiatives. In
Sambalpur district alone, the company’s CSR programmes reach 1.42 lakh people
across 63 villages, with focused interventions in education, healthcare,
women’s empowerment and livelihoods. These include Aditya Birla Public Schools,
digital smart classrooms, mini science centres, libraries, coaching for
competitive examinations and remedial learning.
In healthcare, Hindalco operates nine dispensaries
serving nearly 70,000 patients annually, supported by Swasthya Vahini mobile
health units that reach about 36,000 patients each year. In skill development
and livelihoods, the Aditya Birla Skill Centre in Sambalpur has trained over
300 youth with strong placement and self-employment outcomes. Project Unnati
supports more than 1,000 farming families, while Project Shakti empowers nearly
3,000 women through 268 self-help groups.
Together, these initiatives create a virtuous
continuum — linking education to opportunity, health to productivity and skills
to sustainable livelihoods — ensuring that Hindalco’s industrial growth in
Odisha translates into inclusive and shared prosperity for local communities
and the State at large.
