National Aluminium Co Ltd has reported sales turnover of over Rs 7,200 crore and foreign exchange earnings of Rs 3,400 crore in 2012-13. Despite delay in renewal of mining lease, the company has achieved the highest-ever bauxite production of 54.19 lakh tonnes, against 50.03 lt achieved in the previous fiscal. Its alumina refinery produced 18.02 lt of alumina hydrateagainst 16.87 lt achieved in 2011-12.
However, during the year, the company’s metal production slumped marginally from 4.13 lt to 4.03 lt, due to planned shutdown of pot shells of the smelter. According to Ansuman Das, CMD, besides coal shortage, the dwindling LME prices of metal, forced the company to cut down its production of metal to some extent. “It was not commercially viable to produce more metal using expensive imported coal,” he said. — Our Bureau