Rourkela Steel Plant. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 7: Top bosses of National Aluminium Company Ltd and the Steel Authority of India have separately met chief minister Naveen Patnaik and briefed him about their expansion plans in the state.

While National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco) is planning to set up a smelter plant, Steel Authority of India (SAIL) has planned to modernise the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP).

Nalco chairman-cum-managing director Anshuman Das said the company had obtained approval for its upcoming smelter plant and power plant at Sundergarh.

“Nearly Rs 16,000 crore will be invested in the project,” Das informed the chief minister.

The public sector Navratna company plans to set up 0.5 million tonne-smelter plant and a captive power plant at Sundergarh. The state government will provide 50 cusec water from the Hirakud reservoir and 2,500 acres. The plant will generate 1,260MW power.

Das urged Naveen to ensure coal linkage for the plant. “The plant will come up near Basundhara coal block and coal block linkages for Nalco was taken up with the state government,” said a senior Nalco official.

The state government also requested Nalco to set up a medical college in Koraput.

On the other hand, SAIL chairman Chandrasekhar Verma apprised Naveen of the company’s investment of Rs 16,000 crore for expansion of its Rourkela Steel Plant and a new blast furnace that was going to be installed.

“With installation of the new blast furnace, the RSP’s production capacity would go up to 4.5 million tonnes from two million tonnes,” Verma told the chief minister.

Naveen asked Verma to stress on periphery development of the Rourkela city.

The state government also requested him to initiate steps to upgrade the Ispat General Hospital to the status of a medical college and hospital.

People of Sundergarh and the majority of western Odisha people depend on the hospital.