New Delhi: State-run National Aluminium Company (Nalco) plans to invest Rs30,000 crore over the next five years for setting up a smelter and a power plant in Indonesia to expand its overseas business.

“Nalco will invest Rs30,000 crore to build a five lakh tonne smelter and a 1,500 MW captive coal-fired power plant in Indonesia. We hope to sign a MoU with that country’s government early next year in this connection,” a NALCO spokesman told PTI over phone.

He said NALCO would initially invest Rs 15,000 crore for a 2.5 lakh tonne smelter and a 750 MW power plant, the work for which would begin by the middle of 2009. “Thereafter, we will double the capacity of the smelter and that of the captive power plant by 2011-12,” he added.

The project is to be located in a southern Sumatran island. Nalco would conduct a feasibility study after signing the MoU, he said, adding, that alumina required for the smelter would be sourced from India.

A high-level team from Indonesia visited Orissa recently and is understood to have held preliminary talks with state government officials on working out the modalities for setting up the smelter.

The aluminium giant is also planning to invest around Rs 20,000 crore to set up two greenfield projects, an alumina refinery in Andhra Pradesh and an integrated aluminium complex in Orissa.