Special Economic Zone for aluminium products

Bhopal, Oct 20: The Centre has cleared the proposal to set up a Rs 20,000 crore special economic zone (SEZ) for aluminium based products by the Hindalco industries in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh.

The Aditya Birla Group's Hindalco industries will set up the SEZ on over 2000 hectare area in Ogri-Bargavan villages. Under this project, an aluminium smelter with an annual capacity of 3.25 lakh tonne would be installed at a cost of Rs 17,000 crore. A 750 megawatt capacity captive power plant is also proposed with coal linkage project to produce 35.50 lakh tonnes of coals annually.

Alumina required for the SEZ would be received from the Hindalco's factory in Orissa, official sources said.

Aluminium ancillary units costing Rs 3000 crore would also be installed in the SEZ. The project is to be completed within four years .

An MoU for setting up the SEZ was signed by the state government and the Hindalco industries, which is the biggest aluminium producer in the country.

Two other SEZs- one each in Indore and Gwalior--are coming up in Madhya Pradesh.

UNI