Industries participating in the Green Visakha Project have been urged by Visakhapatnam district Collector V. Sheshadri to complete the yearly target plantation before the monsoon season ends.

Allocates need to furnish status of end-use plants

The Odisha steel & mines department will process prospecting license (PL) and mining lease (ML) applications of coal block allocatees according to a checklist. The checklist approved by the department makes it mandatory for the allocatees to furnish status of end-use plants linked to coal blocks.
Information on the end-use project of the coal block should include capacity of the thermal or captive power plant (CPP) and up-to-date status of the plant regardless of whether it is located within the state or outside.

A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in the Assembly on Friday has found that the state government has, between 2000 and 2012, allotted 464.479 acres of government land in Bhubanes

In 2002, the company had surrendered 1,288 hectare as it did not find bauxite deposit in those areas, out of original 4,692 ha land allotted to it

National Aluminium Company (Nalco) expects its partial surrender of mining land at its key Panchpatmali (north central block) bauxite deposit will soon be cleared by the state mines department. Nalco intends to surrender 2,087 ha of its 3,404 ha mining lease area where no bauxite deposit was found after exploration.

Rs 15,000-crore aluminium park stuck as both parties ponder setting up of smelter

Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC)’s ambitious Rs 15,000-crore aluminium park in Kutch, Gujarat, is again staring at hurdles. GMDC wants to set up a one-million-tonne alumina refinery and a 50,00,000-tonne aluminium smelter. However, its partner, National Aluminium Company (Nalco), is wary of the smelter, as converting alumina into aluminium requires mega power generation.

KORAPUT: Traffic was hit for nearly five hours on the road leading to Nalco mining area at Damanjodi following a road blockade staged by villagers at Mathalput demanding supply of drinking water by the company on Wednesday. No Nalco employee was able to enter the mining area during the agitation.

The agitating villagers alleged that they used to get water from pipes laid by Nalco in Mathalput but all of a sudden Nalco authorities blocked the pipelines on Tuesday. "The Nalco authorities have deliberately blocked the pipeline. We demand immediate restoration of drinking water supply to Mathalput," said Suresh Saunta, president of Panchpatmali Peripheral Progressive Union (PMPPU).

Villagers from Mali Parbat are willing to compensate state for its loss in royalty from bauxite mines

Villagers protesting against Hindalco’s plan to mine bauxite at Mali Parbat in the Koraput district in Odisha have come up with a unique proposal that offers to compensate the state for its loss in revenue from royalty. Forty one villages from the district, two thirds of whose largely tribal population live below poverty line, have proposed to soon pass panchayat resolutions promising to pay . 35 crore, or what they estimate will be the royalty Hindalco is likely to pay the state over 15 years of the project’s life. Hindalco estimates that its industrial activity in the backward region will earn the state three to four times as much.

Company, however, not keen on selling alumina to Vedanta as they are competitors, say Nalco sources

National Aluminium Company (Nalco), which has an exportable alumina surplus of nearly one million tonne per annum, stands to gain Rs 250 crore if it agrees to sell the intermediate product to its competitor - Vedanta Aluminium Ltd (VAL). The business deal, though apparently lucrative, is not tempting enough for Nalco, which prefers to export the surplus alumina.

Aluminium giant NALCO is setting up its second Wind Power Plant in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan with a capacity of 47.6 MW.

The Rs 283 crore Wind Power Project will be executed at Ludarva in Jaisalmer district through M/s Gamesa Wind Turbines Private Ltd, which involves erection of 56 Wind Turbines, each of 850 KW rating, NALCO sources said on Thursday. This is the second green initiative of NALCO towards promoting sustainable development by harnessing unconventional and renewable energy sources, which would credit the 'Navaratna' PSU with incentives from the government.

PSU firm prefers to export the product board to take up the matter in its next meeting

After its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh was shut due to lack of bauxite, now operations at Vedanta’s aluminium smelter in Odisha have been hit by shortage of alumina. Time and again, Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) has asked National Aluminium Company Limited ( Nalco), which has surplus alumina, to sell it the commodity at a premium, but in vain. B L Bagra, director (finance) of Nalco, confirmed VAL had offered to pay a premium over Nalco’s export price. However, he added the company’s strategy was to export alumina. Others said Nalco’s move was triggered by the company’s reluctance to encourage competition. Nalco and VAL are competitors; both manufacture and sell aluminium.