Business Standard
Vedanta’s Lanjigarh refinery to re-open this month
Edited by : AL CIRCLE
2 min read
After lying idle for over six months, Vedanta’s one million ton alumina refinery at Lanjigarh is gearing up to resume operations by the end of this month on hopes of bauxite supplies from private miners in Gujarat and also opening of group firm Bharat Aluminum Company Kawardah mines in Chhattisgarh.
Vedanta Aluminium Ltd’s refinery has been shut since December 5 last year on bauxite unavailability, putting at stake livelihood of thousands of families dependent on the plant. The company has been making frenzied efforts to source the raw material from alternative sources.
“In the next three weeks, we are hopeful of restarting the refinery plant. We will operate the refinery at maximum capacity of 60 per cent. Some private miners in Gujarat have assured us around 70,000 ton of bauxite supplies for this month. Moreover, Balco’s Kawardah bauxite mine is going to reopen in 10 days. The mine will ensure continuous supply of bauxite to the tune of 120,000 ton every month. We are making best efforts to bring bauxite in next 10-15 days. We are also in talks with Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation but nothing has fructified as of now,” said a company source.
To operate at full capacity, VAL needed 300,000 ton of bauxite every month.
More than 1,000 locals yesterday gathered at the main gate of VAL refinery, demanding restart of the plant. They also submitted a memorandum to Mukesh Kumar, president and chief operating officer of VAL-Lanjigarh.
Vedanta Aluminium Ltd’s refinery has been shut since December 5 last year on bauxite unavailability, putting at stake livelihood of thousands of families dependent on the plant. The company has been making frenzied efforts to source the raw material from alternative sources.
“In the next three weeks, we are hopeful of restarting the refinery plant. We will operate the refinery at maximum capacity of 60 per cent. Some private miners in Gujarat have assured us around 70,000 ton of bauxite supplies for this month. Moreover, Balco’s Kawardah bauxite mine is going to reopen in 10 days. The mine will ensure continuous supply of bauxite to the tune of 120,000 ton every month. We are making best efforts to bring bauxite in next 10-15 days. We are also in talks with Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation but nothing has fructified as of now,” said a company source.
To operate at full capacity, VAL needed 300,000 ton of bauxite every month.
More than 1,000 locals yesterday gathered at the main gate of VAL refinery, demanding restart of the plant. They also submitted a memorandum to Mukesh Kumar, president and chief operating officer of VAL-Lanjigarh.
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