The first phase of expansion of this largest integrated aluminium company in Asia which started in December 1996 at an estimated investment of Rs 1,664.60 crore envisages the doubling of the mining capacity to 48,000 tonne per annum (tpa) and the alumina refining capacity to 10,50,000 tpa from 800,000 tpa. Next phases of expansion are also likely to be taken up. The total investment for all phases of expansion is earmarked at Rs 3,700 crore.

Nalco has reported a 42 per cent jump in sales turnover for 1999-2000 being at Rs 2,142.35 crore. It achieved a net profit of Rs 512.10 crore as compared to Rs 248 crore in 1998-99.

Nalco, the only aluminium company with planned exportable surplus of alumina, is also expanding its aluminium smelter plant at Angul, 700 km away from the mines to consume 400,000 tonne of alumina. Known as the poor man's silver, over the years aluminium has assumed strategic importance and the company has exported Rs 3,110.8 crore worth of alumina by year 1999-2000.

Nalco which was launched in 1986 and the last of the PSUs to be commissioned by the government, declared a dividend of 15 per cent for 1999-2000 as compared to 12 per cent the previous fiscal.

The export earnings of Rs 1,031 crore accounted for 50 per cent of the company's turnover compared to Rs 632 crore the previous year. In terms of quantity, the figure touched a new high of 95,185 tonne compared to the previous best of 85,771 tonne in 1992-93.

The smelter unit at Angul touched 100 per cent capacity utilisation of 2.3 lakh tpa with the installation of 480th smelter pot in March this year.Using the 14.6 km conveyer belts to transport the mined bauxite across the undulated eastern ghats, the longest single flight in the world, the ore is then refined into alumina in powder form and transported either to Visakhapatnam Port or to smelter plant at Angul through special fully covered rakes.

P Parvatisem, CMD, Nalco speaking to the visiting journalists from Delhi that the decision of the company to pay back the 980 million euro dollar loan was timely as dollar has started appreciating against rupee. The whole cost of expansion had been met internally thereby achieving substantial savings for the company in terms of cutting down on production costs and check foreign exchange outgo.

Nalco has adopted numerous energy efficient and highly productive processes including predeliction facility in alumina refinery using French technology. With the debottlenecking of the project commencing, the new stream of alumina production will get ready by April 2001.