New Delhi, Aug. 7 -- The race among India's biggest industrial groups to secure bauxite resources has intensified, with Vedanta's BALCO emerging as the highest bidder for the Karlapat bauxite block in Odisha, one of the country's largest untapped deposits, according to people familiar with the matter.

Located in Odisha's Kalahandi district, the Karlapat block spans more than 3,100 hectares and is estimated to hold over 200 million tonnes of bauxite. BALCO quoted a 175% revenue-sharing premium to emerge as the highest bidder, marking the highest premium ever offered for a bauxite block auction in India, the people said, requesting anonymity because the details are not yet public.

The outcome of the auction is significant as aluminium mak...