Mumbai, Nov. 9 -- Vedanta Aluminium Metal Ltd has secured captive supplies of bauxite just as a pricing dispute with its long-term supplier, Odisha Mining Corporation Ltd (OMCL), threatened to upset the company's cost calculus, helping India's largest producer of the silvery-white metal keep a lid on input costs.

The company received a long-pending consent to operate its Sijimali bauxite mine in Odisha in September and now plans to begin production this financial year itself, targeting 1 million tonnes of output. The production is expected to rise to 5-6 million tonnes in FY28. The mine is expected to replace imported bauxite and generate savings of about $25 per tonne, chief financial officer Anup Agarwal said during the company's Septe...