India's Nalco in talks for JV in Oman, say reports

National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco), a government of India enterprise, is in talks with six countries, including Oman, for the setting up of smelter units through joint ventures (JV), according to recent reports in the Indian media.

According to a news brief posted on Nalco's website, the company's chairman and managing director, Ansuman Das, said, “Nalco has approached the ambassadors of six countries, viz Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Qatar, Oman and Iran for setting up smelters overseas in joint venture.”

Das made the announcement while addressing the employees of the company's smelter and power complex at Angul in the Indian state of Orissa recently.

While appreciating the collective endeavour of the company's employees, Das outlined the growth strategy and sustainability of Nalco in his address. “We are running profitably, while smelters worldwide are being shut down,” he said.

Owing to the sluggish aluminium market worldwide and the coal shortage, Nalco was forced to shut down one-third of the pots at its smelter at Angul. Recently, however, the company added ten more pots to its 631 operational pots. “It is a small, but significant step,” said Das and urged the employees to remain prepared for when things really start to look up.

Nalco, an Indian public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Mines, is presently the largest integrated alumina-aluminium complex in India. The company is among the lowest-cost producers of alumina in the world.