The Aditya Birla Group has proposed an additional Rs 120 bn investment to expand its greenfield alumina refinery at Kansariguda in Odisha's Rayagada district, an official statement said. The proposal would raise the total investment in the project to Rs 200 bn and follow an earlier commitment of Rs 80 bn for the initial phase.

The announcement was made after the group's chairman met the Odisha chief minister to review the progress of ongoing and proposed investments in the state. The company already operates a refinery and two smelter plants in Odisha and is implementing a one million tonnes per annum (MTPA) capacity greenfield refinery at Kansariguda through Hindalco Industries Limited.

With the proposed increase in capacity from one MTPA to three MTPA, the project investment would rise to the revised figure and is expected to create substantial direct and indirect employment while opening opportunities for local suppliers and downstream industries. The group cited the long term potential of the expansion and the proactive support offered by the state government in framing the new proposal.

Discussions during the meeting addressed measures to facilitate timely implementation, including coordinated approaches to land, infrastructure, utilities and statutory approvals. Officials also reviewed the group's pipeline across aluminium, alumina, chemicals, cement, renewable energy, textiles and apparel and explored possible investments in copper refining, copper clad laminates, printed circuit boards, paints, jewellery manufacturing and advanced aluminium products.

The proposal comes shortly after the state signed a memorandum of understanding with Adani Enterprises and an Abu Dhabi investor for an integrated greenfield aluminium project valued at about Rs 1.08 tn, underscoring Odisha's aim to deepen value addition and build a globally competitive metals ecosystem. The state government offered continued support for implementation and expansion.