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NEW DELHI, July 30 - India’s National Aluminium Co Ltd scaled back operations at its Orissa alumina refinery by half from Saturday because of a coal shortage, but a shutdown was unlikely with supplies set to improve, the firm said.

“The possibility of shutting down of alumina refinery is remote. Action has already been initiated to normalise the coal supply with the help of the Ministry of Mines and Ministry of Coal,” the company said.

It said the reduction in output was temporary and would be made up after coal supplies improved.

Coal was in short supply because of a transport strike and a government order directing coal to power utilities, NALCO said.

But supplies were likely to improve as the strike had been called off and the government order “is understood to have been lifted” from July 29, it said.

On Tuesday, NALCO Chairman C.R. Pradhan said the Damanjodi refinery was running with about 1,000 tonnes of coal a day, against the normal requirement of 2,500 tonnes and the plant was drawing coal from its buffer stocks. Source Reuters