Vedanta Expects Increased Production at Lanjigarh Alumina Refinery
Vedanta Group’s Lanjigarh alumina refinery announced that it is expecting an increased total production of 1.8 million tonnes in FY-20 which was 1.5 million tonnes in the previous fiscal year.
Lanjigarh Alumina: Higher Productivity through Improved Operational Practices
The company has attributed increase in production to significant improvement in operating efficiencies.
Lanjigarh alumina refinery has achieved 9% reduction in bauxite cost per tonne through strategic bauxite sourcing. Under an agreement with government of Odisha, Lanjigarh refinery is purchasing 70% of bauxite mined by Odisha Mining Corporation. The refinery has reduced its reliance on bauxite imports to about 10% which was 39% in FY19. This has, in turn, helped to refine alumina in a more efficient and time-effective manner.
The plant has also ramped up production by reducing consumption of caustic soda by 26% in comparison to last year. It is also building a caustic soda plant in Dharma, Odisha with an investment of INR 6,500 crore to increase captive capacity.
Through plant automation and process improvement, refinery has registered a 19% decline in conversion cost of bauxite to alumina.
Amendments have also been made in logistics by shifting from road to rail transport. In addition improvement in operating parameters at Lanjigarh, in-house power plant has brought down fixed cost and reduced its carbon emission intensity to 30% below global averages of other alumina refineries.
Lanjigarh alumina refinery is now among top 5 alumina refineries globally in terms of total energy consumption.
About Lanjigarh Alumina Refinery: Vedanta’s Lanjigarh alumina refinery is situated in district of Kalahandi, 450 kms from Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The plant has capacity of 2 mtpa. It also has a 3×30 MW coal-fired cogeneration power plant. Railway linkage of about 16 km is also available from the plant to Ambadola Railway Station.
About Vedanta Limited: Vedanta Limited is one of the major mining firms in India. It’s Aluminium and Power Business became the largest producer of aluminium in the country with production of 1.95 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) in the FY 2018-19.