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 Transport

18 Dec 2025

RVNL secures Rs 1.65 billion railway bridge project from North Eastern Railway

Rail Vikas Nigam (RVNL) has received a Letter of Award (LoA) from North Eastern Railway for a Rs 1.65 billion railway infrastructure project, strengthening its order book and showcasing its expertise in complex railway construction.The project involves constructing the substructure of a major railway bridge over the Gandak River, located between Paniyahwa and Valmikinagar stations. This is part of the doubling of the Gorakhpur Cantt–Valmikinagar railway section, aimed at improving line capacity and operational efficiency.The bridge will feature 14 spans of 61 metres each, built on double D-t..

Raebareli’s Modern Coach Factory rolls out 15,000th railway coach

The Modern Coach Factory (MCF) at Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh has achieved a major manufacturing milestone with the rollout of its 15,000th railway coach on December 15, the Ministry of Railways said.In a press note, the ministry said that MCF has already produced 1,310 coaches in the current financial year 2025–26, reflecting sustained high output at one of Indian Railways’ most advanced passenger coach manufacturing units.Established in 2007 at Lalganj in Raebareli district, MCF was built at a cost of Rs 31.92 billion with an initial annual production capacity of 1,000 coaches. The factor..

RailTel wins Rs 260.88 million IT infrastructure order from VOC Port

Navratna public sector undertaking RailTel Corporation of India has secured an IT infrastructure order worth Rs 260.88 million from V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority (VOC Port), strengthening its presence in port-led digital transformation projects.According to an exchange filing dated December 16, 2025, RailTel has received a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) from VOC Port Authority for the implementation of advanced IT infrastructure at the port. The project is domestic in nature and is scheduled to be completed by August 15, 2026.The company said the order has been awarded in the normal course of ..