Mumbai:
The Orissa government has rejected a proposal by
Australian mining giant BHP Billiton to set up a 3-million
tonne alumina refinery special economic zone (SEZ) in
Gopalpur with an investment of $3.3 billion (Rs14,000
crore).
BHP Billiton''s India chairman M S Ramachandran had made
a presentation on the proposed project before Orissa
chief secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy last week.
The chief secretary has conveyed the government''s feelings
to BHP Billiton''s India head at a meeting attended by
state steel & mines secretary UP Singh, industries
secretary Ashok Dalwai, and IPICOL managing director
Ashok Meena.
The government refused to accept the offer on the ground
that the project did not have any proposal for an aluminium
smelter. The state government, which is insisting on
value addition to at least 50 per cent of the alumina
in the state as part of its mineral policy, has asked
the company to submit a fresh proposal with facilities
for production of aluminium.
BHP Billiton has sought bauxite mines with proven reserve
of 300 million tonne and 5500 acre in Gopalpur for the
project.
The company has proposed to establish only an alumina
refinery which does not ensure full value addition to
bauxite, said a senior official who attended the presentation
session. He said maximum value addition would ensure
more employment generation as well as extra revenue
generation for the state.
According
to Industries secretary Ashok Dalwai, the government
wanted value addition to the raw material down to aluminium
metal and also secondary processing in downstream industries
like transport, construction and packaging.
As
such the government''s policy says that the investor
which agrees for value addition to the raw material
only would be provided with captive mines. We could
not have two policies, said an official.
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