Mumbai, Aug. 26 -- Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is evaluating a plan to venture into the aluminium industry, a sector that Gautam Adani-led Adani Enterprises Ltd entered with an $11.5 billion investment just months ago, setting the stage for another potential business showdown between India's two wealthiest billionaires. The move is part of RIL's exploration of metals production as it looks to improve the commercial viability of its planned coal gasification business, four people familiar with the matter told Mint. "They are considering an entry into metals production to utilise the fuel generated from coal gasification to improve its commercial viability," said the first of the four persons cited above. While the firm's plans are still at an exploratory stage, it participated in the recent auction of the Karlapat bauxite block in Odisha, the second person said. Bauxite is the ore that is refined into aluminium. Reliance plans to set up a coal gasification project in Andhra Pradesh. It has so far won two coal blocks through an auction at Recherla and Chintalpudi in the state. The proposed entry into aluminium could potentially link the firm's coal resources and gasification plans with metals production, the people cited earlier said. Reliance did not respond to Mint's queries. The Economic Times reported on August 20 that the conglomerate proposed an investment of Rs.2.73 trillion over 30 years to develop India's first integrated underground coal gasification complex in Andhra Pradesh. The move comes as billionaire Gautam Adani's group marks its entry in the aluminium sector. In June, Adani Enterprises announced plans to invest about $11.5 billion to develop a 2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) aluminium project in Odisha in partnership with UAE's International Holding Co. (IHC), setting up competition with established players such as Vedanta Aluminium and Hindalco. If Reliance proceeds with its plans, it would be the fourth large conglomerate to enter the sector, signalling a growing interest among India's large business groups in the silvery-white metal. Ambani and Adani have largely operated in separate orbits and avoided competing in each other's core business turfs. But they both are scaling up investments in renewables and data centres. Reliance's potential entry into aluminium would mark the third segment in which the two groups would compete more directly....