Hindalco Industries is making significant investments to expand its upstream operations in aluminium and copper smelting, according to Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla. Speaking at the company’s 66th Annual General Meeting, Birla outlined a growth strategy that emphasizes strengthening both the raw material processing and finished goods segments of the business.
“The company is now entering a phase of accelerated expansion in upstream operations, while maintaining steady growth in downstream activities,” Mr Birla said. In the metals sector, ‘upstream’ refers to the extraction and initial processing of raw materials, while ‘downstream’ involves further refining and producing finished or semi-finished products.
As part of its expansion plans, Hindalco is increasing capacity at its Aditya Aluminium smelter in Odisha by 180,000 tonnes per year and has proposed a 360,000-tonne per year expansion at its Mahan smelter in Madhya Pradesh. A new greenfield alumina refinery with an annual capacity of 850,000 tonnes is also on the horizon.
To secure long-term energy needs, Hindalco has received allocation of the 12-million-tonne Meenakshi coal mine. This move is expected to strengthen its self-reliance in energy and help maintain its status as one of the world’s lowest-cost aluminium producers, by reducing dependence on externally sourced coal.
On the copper side, the company is working on a major 300,000-tonne expansion at its Dahej facility. Once complete, this will become the largest copper smelting site globally outside of China. In terms of downstream operations, Hindalco is expanding its offerings in aluminium, copper, specialty alumina, and recycled materials.
The company is targeting a fourfold increase in EBITDA from downstream operations by FY30, compared to FY24 levels. Additionally, its new copper tube manufacturing plant is currently ramping up production. Construction is also in progress for a pioneering e-waste and copper recycling plant in Pakhajan — set to be India’s first and the second-largest of its kind globally.
Hindalco is a $28 billion metals enterprise and a part of the Aditya Birla Group. It is the world’s largest aluminium company by revenue and ranks second globally in copper rod production (excluding China). The company operates a fully integrated value chain, including bauxite mining, alumina refining, power generation, aluminium smelting, and finished products such as rolled sheets and foils.
Through its subsidiary Novelis, Hindalco leads the global flat-rolled aluminium market and is the largest aluminium recycler worldwide. It also stands as India’s top copper producer, supplying over 50% of the country’s copper needs from its Gujarat facility, which includes smelting, refining, and port infrastructure.
Hindalco has a global presence with 50 manufacturing units across 10 countries. It has been ranked as the world’s most sustainable aluminium producer in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for five consecutive years (2020–2024).
