National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), a public sector company under the Ministry of Mines, Government of India, has signed a technology transfer agreement with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA). The agreement signed on 7 September in Dubai will ensure the deployment of EGA’s UAE-developed DX+ Ultra aluminium smelting technology for NALCO’s 0.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) brownfield smelter expansion project at Angul (Anugola), Odisha.
In July this year, NALCO announced a plan to undertake a 500,000 tonne per year expansion at Angul, Odisha, with commissioning planned for early 2030. The total investment is reported to be ₹30,000 crore (approximately $3.5 billion).
Using EGA’s advanced cell technology, NALCO hopes to strengthen its position in the global aluminium market while meeting its sustainability and production targets.
Context of the Partnership
NALCO has historically collaborated with various global technology partners to upgrade its refining and smelting capabilities, this specific alliance with EGA represents a major strategic shift. EGA is one of the world's largest "premium aluminium" producers and a significant technology licensor, having successfully deployed its proprietary DX and DX+ Ultra smelting technologies across various international projects.
This agreement marks a deepening of international industrial cooperation for NALCO. While earlier engagements between NALCO and international entities were often centred around equipment supply or general technical consultancy, this technology pact with EGA is about a high-level intellectual property and process-efficiency partnership to lower the carbon intensity of its operations.
Forward Outlook
The expansion at Angul, which is projected to be a multi-billion-dollar investment including a 1,080 MW captive power plant (developed in partnership with NLC India), remains on track for commissioning in the coming years.
The collaboration with EGA is expected to play a critical role in ensuring that the new capacity meets international benchmarks for environmental compliance and operational excellence.
NALCO reported a strong Q1 FY27 performance for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, with revenue from operations rising 39.28% year on year to ₹5,302.38 crore (approximately $560.15 million) and profit after tax increasing approximately 91% to ₹2,003.14 crore (approximately $211.61 million). The growth was supported by stronger aluminium prices, improved realisations and solid operational performance across its value chain.
