Bhubaneswar: The State-Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) on Thursday accorded its in-principle approval to a proposal submitted by the Vedanta Group for the expansion of its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district.

The matter was referred to the high-level clearance authority, headed by the chief minister.

The proposal was cleared at the 75th SLSWCA meeting presided over by chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi on Thursday.

If the proposal gets the final nod of the state government, the alumina refinery's capacity of producing 1 million tonne alumina per annum will be augmented to 6 million tonne per annum.

The SLSWCA also gave its recommendation to increase the capacity of company's co-generation captive power plant from 90 megawatt to 340 megawatt.

The company has sought 1,645.8 acres of additional private land for project expansion.

The alumina refinery has run into rough weather with the lease granted for bauxite mining in Niyamgiri Hills having been quashed by the Supreme Court.

The authority today approved investment proposals of Rs 381 crore from five firms, including the public sector Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), Shree Malani Foams Ltd and JSK Industries Ltd.

The proposals, if implemented, will create employment opportunities for 844 people.

The SLSWCA accorded approval to the IOCL's proposal for setting up an LPG bottling plant in Khurda with an investment of Rs 161.59 crore. This unit will provide employment to 79 people.

Shree Malani Foams Pvt. Ltd, a company from the house of Century brand of mattresses, was also given clearance to set up a unit to manufacture 4,500 tonnes per annum of polyurethane (PU) foam and foam products at Khurda. The project will create employment opportunity for 135 people. This will be company's second unit in the state as it already produces coir, foam and spring mattresses from its existing unit at Khurda under Century Fibre Plates Pvt Ltd. The unit went into commercial production on December 4, 2015.