Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest aluminium producer, has commissioned Odisha’s first all-women power operations team at its Jharsuguda smelter, entrusting them with the management of a 135 MW thermal power unit. Announced ahead of International Women’s Day 2026, the initiative underlines the company’s efforts to strengthen diversity in core industrial roles and encourage broader participation of women across the metals and mining sector.
Reliable power supply is central to aluminium smelting, which requires uninterrupted energy to sustain production. Vedanta Aluminium’s Jharsuguda complex, the world’s largest aluminium plant, has a total power generation capacity of 3,615 MW, comprising four units of 600 MW and nine units of 135 MW. The newly formed all-women team will oversee the daily operations, monitoring and maintenance of one of these 135 MW units.
Developed in partnership with NGSL, the programme has recruited qualified women engineers across operations and maintenance functions, including turbine operations, switchgear management, milling, and control room operations. The team brings expertise from mechanical and electrical engineering disciplines and will complete a structured six-month training programme combining classroom sessions, simulator-based learning, and on-site technical mentoring.
Rajiv Kumar, CEO, Vedanta Aluminium, said, “Entrusting a full-scale power unit to an all-women technical team reflects our belief that leadership is defined by capability. This step reinforces our commitment to building a workplace where women play an active role in driving industrial performance. We are working toward our goal of 30 per cent women representation by 2030 and aim to set new benchmarks for inclusion in heavy industry.”
The Odisha Economic Survey 2025–26 notes that the state’s female labour force participation rate rose from 37.6 per cent in 2022 to 48.7 per cent in 2024, above the national average. Vedanta Aluminium has aligned its efforts with this progress through initiatives at Jharsuguda such as India’s first all-women potline team, an all-women locomotive crew, and “Agnivahini,” an all-women fire and emergency response unit. The company was also the first in Odisha to introduce women into night shift operations through the Shree Shakti initiative, alongside flexible work options and leadership development programmes.
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, produces more than half of India’s aluminium output and is a leading manufacturer of value-added aluminium products used across critical industries. With operations spanning smelters, power plants, and an alumina refinery, the company continues to advance sustainable practices and promote aluminium as a key material for a low-carbon future.
