D. Bhattacharya in Mumbai on Saturday. (Fotocorp)

Mumbai, April 29: Hindalco Industries, The AV Birla group flagship, today reported the highest-ever operating revenue in a quarter of Rs 3,657.4 crore for the three months ended March 31, 2006 ? almost 45 per cent up from Rs 2,515.6 crore in the same quarter a year back. Net sales and operating revenues for 2005-06 stood at Rs 11,396.5 crore, a 20 per cent rise over Rs 9,523.1 crore reported in 2005.

?There are quite a few factors for such good results. Our volumes have gone up, we get huge tax benefits due to exports and there has been a fundamental reduction in costs due to our Hirakud project,? D. Bhattacharya, managing director of Hindalco Industries, said here today.

The company?s net profit for the fourth quarter of 2006 was Rs 626.3 crore, a 40 per cent jump over the same quarter a year ago. ?We will continue our emphasis on the domestic market in the near future,? Bhattacharya added.

However, the company sounded alarm bells on rising energy and crude prices. High energy cost is expected to affect the aluminium business also.

?By using our own coal for the Hirakud project, we were able to contain cost. Going forward, we will see to it that most of our smelters have their own supply of coal to reduce cost,? said Bhattacharya.

The aluminium business is growing in India, with 41 per cent of the current market size created in the last few years. Hindalco hopes with an increased emphasis on construction and other fields where aluminium can be used instead of steel, there will be high growth in the next fiscal as well.

Nalco shines

Nalco today posted a 40.01 per cent increase in net profit at Rs 608.02 crore for the quarter ended March 31, compared with Rs 434.24 crore for the same quarter last fiscal. The total income increased 20.76 per cent to Rs 1623.18 crore for the fourth quarter of 2005-06 from Rs 1344.04 crore in the year-ago period.

For the year ended March 31, the company posted a net profit of Rs 1564.65 crore compared with Rs 1234.84 crore a year ago, it added.

The total income increased to Rs 5116.25 crore for 2005-06 from Rs 4374.60 crore in 2004-05.