National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) has signed a Technology Licensing Agreement with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) for the deployment of EGA’s UAE-developed DX+ Ultra aluminium smelting technology for NALCO’s proposed 0.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) brownfield smelter expansion project at Angul in Odisha. The agreement was signed in Dubai on September 7, 2026, in the presence of NALCO Chairman-cum-Managing Director Brijendra Pratap Singh and EGA Chief Executive Officer Abdulnasser Bin Kalban.
The technology licensing agreement marks an important step in NALCO’s plans to expand its primary aluminium production capacity. With the proposed 0.5 MTPA addition, the company’s overall aluminium production capacity is expected to reach approximately 1 million tonnes per annum.
Under the agreement, EGA will provide NALCO with the licence and technical know-how associated with its DX+ Ultra smelting technology, along with designs and technical support for implementation of the technology at the expanded facility. The high-amperage technology is aimed at supporting efficient aluminium smelting and strengthening the operational performance of the new capacity.
The partnership brings EGA’s UAE-developed smelting technology into NALCO’s brownfield expansion programme at Angul. Aluminium smelting is an energy-intensive process, making improvements in power consumption, productivity and process efficiency important considerations as producers expand capacity.
For NALCO, the technology partnership is expected to support the development of a larger and more technologically advanced smelting operation. The expansion will build on the company’s existing integrated aluminium operations covering bauxite mining, alumina refining, aluminium smelting and power generation.
The agreement also strengthens cooperation between two major aluminium producers. EGA has developed and deployed its own aluminium smelting technologies across its operations and has previously pursued opportunities to license its UAE-developed technology internationally.
The Angul expansion forms part of NALCO’s broader strategy to increase aluminium production and strengthen its position in the domestic and global aluminium industry. The deployment of DX+ Ultra technology is expected to provide the technological foundation for the additional capacity while supporting improved efficiency at the expanded smelter.
