US Tariff Hike Won’t Impact Business, NALCO Eyes UK Market: CMD
Company targets Rs 25,000 crore turnover in five years with major expansions underway
Bhubaneswar: The recent tariff hikes imposed by the United States will have no impact on the business of National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), the company’s Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD), Brijendra Pratap Singh, said on Tuesday. Instead, the central public sector undertaking is pivoting towards the United Kingdom market, which currently levies zero import duty on aluminium.
Speaking at the ‘Media Connect 2025’ programme in Bhubaneswar, Singh said the UK’s growing demand for aluminium, driven by its booming electric vehicle and solar panel industries, presents a “significant opportunity” for NALCO to expand its international footprint.
“The US tariff hike will not affect our business. Rather, we are actively exploring the UK market, which offers zero duty and strong demand for aluminium,” Singh stated.
Highlighting the company’s strong performance, Singh announced that NALCO recorded a standalone net profit of Rs 1,064 crore in the first quarter of the current financial year (FY 2025-26), marking a 77 per cent jump compared to Rs 601 crore in the same period last year. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 3,807 crore in Q1.
Major Expansion Plans
Looking ahead, NALCO has set an ambitious target to become a Rs 25,000 crore company within the next five years, up from its current turnover of Rs 17,000 crore.
As part of its expansion roadmap, Singh revealed that the company plans to increase the capacity of its Damanjodi alumina refinery by one million tonnes by next year. Simultaneously, the capacity of the Angul smelter is slated to be ramped up by five lakh tonnes of aluminium over the next five years.
In tandem with these expansions, NALCO also aims to boost its captive power generation capacity by 1,000 MW during the same period.
“The technology supplier will be finalised by next year, following which we will approach the Board with a Detailed Project Report (DPR) by the end of the year,” Singh informed.
The smelter expansion project is expected to involve an investment of Rs 17,000–20,000 crore, while the additional power generation capacity will require Rs 10,000–11,000 crore, Singh said.
The event was also attended by key members of NALCO’s leadership team, including Pankaj Kumar Sharma, Director (Production); Jagdish Arora, Director (Projects & Technical); Dr. Tapas Kumar Pattanayak, Director (HR); and Abhay Kumar Behuria, Director (Finance).
Earlier, Executive Director (HR) Asutosh Rath welcomed members of the media and presented an overview of the company’s ongoing initiatives and achievements.
