FLSmidth wins Alumina Project in India

FLSmidth Minerals has signed contracts totalling approximately USD 65 million (312m DKK) with India based Utkal Alumina International Limited for a gas suspension calciner and a coal handling plant. The 1 - 1.5m tonnes per year greenfield alumina refinery will be situated at Rayagada Orissa some 180 kilometres from the eastern port city of Visakhapatnam in India.

The contracts are for design, engineering and supply, erection and commissioning. FLSmidth Minerals will supply pyro-processing equipment and technologies, pan filters and electrostatic precipitators to two calciner plants each with a capacity of 2,500 tonnes per day (tpd). Both calciner plants will be prepared for a possible future production upgrade to 3,300 tpd.

For the coal handling plant, FLSmidth Minerals will supply stackers and reclaimers as well as pipe conveyors which are more environmentally friendly than traditional conveyor systems and a special type of sizers which minimise the generation of fines.

FLSmidth's Indian project centre is responsible for processing the project.

Utkal Alumina is part of the Aditya Birla Group, a USD 24 billion corporation with over 100,000 employees and operations in 20 countries. The Group is active in cement, non-ferrous metals, viscose fibre, carbon black, fertilisers and insulators. This project will be the fourth time FLSmidth Minerals supplies plants and machinery for one of Aditya Birla's alumina operations.

'The project is the third calciner project won by FLSmidth Minerals in India within the last four years and it confirms the alumina industry's confidence in FLSmidth for this key process. The coal handling plant incorporates many of our Group's technologies, which reinforces our strengths in offering complete materials handling solutions. This is another example of the best technologies of FLSmidth being combined into a systems approach to the benefit of customers in line with the 'One Source One Partner' concept,' Group Chief Executive Officer Jørgen Huno Rasmussen comments.

The orders will contribute beneficially to FLSmidth's earnings until the projects have been completed in late 2010.