PRIYABRAT
BISWAL
BHUBANESWAR,
SEPTEMBER 26, 2026
The Odisha government
on Saturday committed to providing local bauxite for Vedanta's alumina refinery
at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi, as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Vedanta
Chairman Anil Agarwal discussed measures to accelerate the company's proposed ₹1 lakh crore aluminium projects in
the state.
The meeting, held at
Lokseva Bhawan, focused on expediting project milestones, strengthening
industry-government cooperation and ensuring raw material security for
Vedanta's operations in Odisha.
Later, Agarwal
interacted with the media and shared details, including the proposed
investments, bauxite availability for the Lanjigarh refinery, expansion plans
at Jharsuguda, employment generation and Vedanta's proposed healthcare
initiative in western Odisha.
The proposed
investment comprises a 3 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) aluminium smelter in
Dhenkanal and a 6 million MTPA alumina refinery in Rayagada, which Vedanta said
would create a large-scale industrial ecosystem and strengthen India's
manufacturing capabilities.
The Dhenkanal
facility is also envisaged to supply high-quality hot metal to Vedanta's
downstream aluminium parks in Odisha, supporting greater value addition and
innovation in domestic manufacturing.
Once completed, the
proposed investments would take Vedanta's cumulative aluminium production
capacity to 6 million tonnes per annum, enabling the company to cater to
growing domestic demand for the metal.
During the meeting,
Agarwal also proposed a brownfield expansion of 1 MTPA at Vedanta's aluminium
smelter in Jharsuguda, further expanding the company's manufacturing footprint
in Odisha.
The state government
is keen on creating massive job opportunities for the youth. Therefore, Odisha
is striving to attract investments from across the country and the world, CM Majhi
said.
He said the
government would extend all possible support to investments in the aluminium
sector, considering their potential for employment generation and local
development.
Agarwal said the
proposed investments are aimed at building a world-class industrial ecosystem
that can support India's ambitions in infrastructure, energy transition,
advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies.
"Together with
the Government of Odisha, we are committed to building globally competitive
assets, creating large-scale employment, strengthening local enterprises and
contributing meaningfully to a Viksit Bharat," he said.
Agarwal also
announced that Vedanta will establish a 1,000-bed hospital in western
Odisha, adding a major healthcare component to the company's investment plans
in the state.
The upcoming
aluminium projects are expected to generate more than 2 lakh direct and
indirect employment opportunities, while creating a multiplier effect across
logistics, infrastructure, engineering and ancillary industries. The company
estimates that the investment could support more than 20 lakh livelihood
opportunities across the broader ecosystem.
The projects are also
expected to promote import substitution in strategic natural resources and
support the expansion of thousands of MSMEs and supplier businesses.
Aluminium is
increasingly important to the global energy transition, with applications
spanning renewable energy, power transmission, electric vehicles, aerospace and
next-generation infrastructure.
The expansion of
artificial intelligence infrastructure, including data centres, is also
creating new avenues for aluminium demand through applications such as power
transmission and distribution, cooling systems and heat exchangers.
Vedanta's proposed investments, including its planned large-scale aluminium capacity expansion and its existing operations at Jharsuguda and Lanjigarh, are expected to further strengthen Odisha's position as a major aluminium manufacturing hub.
Agarwal also reaffirmed Vedanta's commitment to Odisha, pointing to the partnership between the company and the state that has developed over the past two decades.
