Naveen inaugurates extended alumina refinery of Utkal Alumina in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today inaugurated the expansion of the existing Alumina refinery of Utkal Alumina located at Kashipur in Odisha’s Rayagada district.

Situated at the tribal hinterland of Odisha, the expansion unit by the Aditya Birla group is built with an investment of Rs 1500 crores and it will improve the refinery’s annual capacity by 0.5 MT to 2 MT alumina production.

For this new unit, more than 500 people are being employed through direct and contractual roles. Reportedly, Aditya Birla group employs more than 12,000 people in Odisha, which accounts for more than 10% of its global workforce.

Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said, “I am particularly happy that investors in Odisha are expanding their existing projects in Odisha even after the impact of COVID-19. This shows that our economy is bouncing back from the impacts of the pandemic and we are back on the path of sustained growth and development.”

He further added, “Odisha’s association with the Aditya Birla group has been a fruitful and prosperous one. The Aditya Birla group has been a key player in the industrial growth story of Odisha with their presence spanning across sectors like metals, mining, cement, financial services, fashion and retail. The group has contributed significantly to healthcare, education, sustainable livelihood and other community engagement programs in Odisha as part of their CSR activities. Today’s inauguration is a testament to the long-standing relationship between the Aditya Birla group and Odisha.”

The active participation of Odisha-based industries including the Aditya Birla Group in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities has been phenomenal. Odisha is an industry upcoming state. The number of companies investing in the state has been phenomenal last couple of years and such investments will transform the lives across the state.

Joining the programme through virtual mode, Aditya Birla Group Chairman, Kumar Mangalam Birla said that Odisha has emerged as the top-most investment destination for the Aditya Birla Group.

Birla appreciated the role of state government in the success of Indian Hockey at Olympics. He also expressed his happiness on his role as a proud partner in the development story of the state.

Stating that the Aditya Birla Group is committed to long-term investment in Odisha, he said, “Over the years, we have invested well over Rs 30,000 crore in the state. Eight of our group businesses have a significant presence in the state and this has given employment to about 35,000 people.”

“The Aditya Birla Group will invest about Rs 7,200 crore across various businesses,” he said, adding that for Hindalco, the group have earmarked an investment of Rs 3,000 crore to set up flat-rolled projects at Hirakud.

Hindalco, MD Satish Pai said this expansion and Hindalco’s downstream capacity will make Odisha home to one of the largest, most modern flat rolled aluminium product plants in the world with world-class technologies from our American subsidiary Novelis.

The development will accelerate the pace of employment generation in technology, transportation, packaging and logistics and boost business for ancillary industries, he said.