Critical coal shortages hit aluminium plants in India

18 Oct 2021 CW Team

On Friday, industry body AAI warned that the aluminium plants in the nation are grappling with a severely low level of coal stocks and if the fuel supply is not resumed quickly it would result in irrevocable collateral damage.

The statement comes when the coal supply by the CIL to non-power sectors has stopped tentatively amid electricity-producing facilities in the nation meeting fuel shortages.

The Aluminium Association of India (AAI) told the media that the aluminium industry has not received any support concerning the continuing coal supply crisis. Indian aluminium facilities are grappling with severely low levels of coal stock, with no support or alternative means to reach their power requirements and keep the plants operational.

Any power outage in aluminium facilities will result in a catastrophic impact and complete shutdown, which will take a minimum of 12 months of recovery, leading to job loss of over 8 lakh people. Banks will have debt exposure of more than Rs 1 lakh crore and an additional national forex loss of Rs 90,000 crore.

Aluminium generation is a 24x7, 365 days constant process industry. There is no term to switch off and switch on. It is a highly power-intensive industry. One tonne of aluminium needs 14,500 units of continuous power which is 15 times in contrast to steel and 145 times for cement.

It additionally said that Coal India should quickly restore continuous coal supply to the aluminium industry to prevent the closure of the plants, it added.

Image Source

Also read: Coal shortages lead 13 thermal power plants to shut down ops

Infrastructure Urban

06 Jul 2026

ABS Marine Sees CRISIL Credit Rating Upgrade

ABS Marine Services has secured an upgrade to its long term and short term credit ratings from CRISIL, reflecting improved profitability and revenue growth through long term contracts. CRISIL moved the long term rating from BBB+/Stable to A-/Stable and revised the short term rating from A2 to A2+. The action signals strengthened financial metrics and operational resilience. The company benefited from durable client relationships with firms such as ONGC and Schlumberger. The rating decision followed stronger cash flows and an enlarged bank loan facility, which increased from Rs 3,705 million (m..

Project BRAHMANK Marks 16 Years Of Strategic Roads In Arunachal

Project BRAHMANK is marking 16 years of work to establish strategic road and bridge links across Arunachal Pradesh, maintaining and developing 811 kilometres of roads and nearly 86 bridges that range from small culverts to large steel and arch bridges. These transport links are described as critical for ensuring year-round movement of defence personnel, equipment and essential supplies while improving everyday travel for people in remote villages. The project balances national security requirements with regional development by focusing on reliable access in challenging terrain. Notable enginee..

Longleng CSOs Give One Week Ultimatum Over Two-Lane Highway

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Longleng district have demanded immediate restoration of the deteriorating Changtongya–Longleng two-lane road and sought a detailed status report on the stalled construction within one week. The demand followed a consultative meeting convened under the Phom Peoples' Council (PPC) to discuss welfare and development concerns. PPC president YB Angam Phom said prolonged non-maintenance had caused hardship to commuters and affected transportation, local commerce and the district's development. The meeting urged authorities to undertake immediate restoration a..