The Adani Group is expanding its industrial footprint in Odisha, unveiling plans for nuclear power, a massive aluminium complex, and infrastructure projects amid regulatory and land acquisition hurdles.
Karan Adani, the chief executive of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, met Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo on Thursday as the group stepped up talks on a wider industrial push in the state, including nuclear power, clean energy and metals projects. According to government and company disclosures, the discussions covered both projects already under consideration and fresh proposals ranging from power and mining to downstream manufacturing.
The clearest signal from the talks was the group’s intention to expand its energy footprint in Odisha. An official statement said the discussions with Singh Deo centred on pumped storage, solar generation and nuclear power as part of an effort to strengthen long-term energy security and grid reliability. Business Standard reported earlier this year that Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani set out a plan to build as much as 10 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2035, a move that would make the conglomerate a major private-sector player in a field that India opened more widely to domestic and foreign firms last year.
Adani also reiterated interest in a large aluminium complex in Odisha. In a separate announcement, Adani Enterprises said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government and International Resources Holding to develop an integrated greenfield aluminium project worth about ₹1.08 lakh crore, or $11.5 billion. The plan includes a 4 million tonnes-a-year alumina refinery, a 2 million tonnes-a-year smelter, a 4,000 megawatt captive power plant and a downstream manufacturing park, with the companies saying it could generate about 53,500 jobs.
The Odisha meeting also turned to practical hurdles that have slowed other proposed projects, including approvals, land identification and acquisition. Officials said time lines would be set for each proposal in an attempt to remove bottlenecks. Beyond the aluminium scheme, the group has proposed bauxite mining in Rayagada and Koraput, an aluminium smelter in Cuttack, an integrated coal gasification and coal-to-chemicals project at Bedabahal in Sundargarh and an expansion of its port at Dhamra, underlining the scale of its industrial ambitions in the state.
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