FLSmidth will supply machinery and equipment for the 500,000 t/y extension of Utkal Alumina International’s (UAI) refinery in Odisha, India, it has confirmed.

UAI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hindalco Industries, an industry leader in aluminium and copper, and is the flagship metals company of the Aditya Birla Group, the world’s largest aluminium rolling company and one of the biggest producers of primary aluminium.

When finalising the contract during a recent meeting of Hindalco and FLSmidth top management, Rakesh Mohan, Vertical Head Projects, MCoE, Hindalco, Mumbai, said he was very pleased and proud to be continuing Hindalco’s partnership with FLSmidth and with the decision to choose FLSmidth for all the critical parts of the project.

Anders Bech, Regional President for FLSmidth, said: “Hindalco is a global major in the field of aluminium with world-class operating facilities. We are therefore very proud to continue partnering with Hindalco in their expansion programme in which safety and productivity are key.

“Because we cover the entire flowsheet of mining and minerals processing, we can provide a strong solution that gives our customers the best return on their investment when looking at the total cost of ownership. All of this with a minimal impact on the environment.”

The scope of this contract includes bauxite grinding, handling, mud washing, hydrate filtration and gas suspension calcination packages on an engineering, procurement and construction basis (excluding civil works). Design, engineering, manufacturing, supply and erection of these units will be carried out by FLSmidth.

The project is to be completed by the June quarter of 2020 and, once operational, this plant will augment the alumina capacity by 500,000 t/y.

FLSmidth said: “FLSmidth’s state of the art products will reduce the energy consumption, minimise the environmental impact, thanks to greater caustic recovery, and will also reduce planned and unplanned equipment downtime by predictive and prescriptive maintenance.”

Utkal comprises a 1.5 Mt/y refinery, bauxite mines with reserves lasting for over 25 years and a captive co-generation power plant of 90 MW.