EGA Halts Al Taweelah Smelter Operations After Iranian Missile Attack Causes Power Loss and Damage

[SMM Aluminum Express News] Vedanta Aluminium is advancing a major expansion in Odisha with a planned investment of around ₹1.8 lakh crore (~US$21–22 billion), reinforcing its strategy to scale up an integrated aluminum value chain. The project includes a 3 MTPA aluminum smelter, 6 MTPA alumina refinery, and a 4,900 MW captive power plant, alongside downstream facilities—strengthening its position as a fully integrated producer.

[SMM Aluminum Express News] PT Bukit Asam (PTBA) is seeking partners to build a 1.25 GW coal-fired power plant in Mempawah to support Inalum’s 600,000 tpy aluminum smelter. The project, backed by an MoU between PTBA and Inalum, will require ~5.5 million tons of coal annually (180–200 million tons over 30 years). PTBA targets FID by end-2026, with potential project start in 2027. The smelter itself is part of a larger integrated bauxite–alumina–aluminum chain, with US$2.4 billion investment for the smelter and US$890 million for SGAR Phase 2. It will process 3 Mt bauxite into 1 Mt alumina, then into 600 kt aluminum, supplied by Antam mines. Overall, this strengthens Indonesia’s downstream strategy, boosting domestic alumina capacity to 2 Mt/year and bauxite absorption to 6 Mt/year.