The ceremonial laying of the foundation stone for the project was led by Revenue and Horticulture Minister Jagat Singh Negi. Present during the event was the Ambassador of Iceland, Benedikt Hoskuldsson, Commercial Counsellor Rahul Chongtham, Chairman of Geotropy Tomas Otto Hansen, CEO of Kalera Group Gudmundur Thor Thormodsson and some geothermal scientists.
A geothermal-powered drying facility for fruits and nuts was also inaugurated in the Kinnaur district during the same occasion. Icelandic company Geotropy worked with the Himachal Pradesh government for this project.
During the ceremony, Negi also stated that the project is a product of the MoU signed between the governments of Iceland and Himachal Pradesh. The two countries recently held a meeting to strengthen their cooperation in the fields of renewable energy and climate change mitigation.
Hoskuldsson stated that Icelandic scientists will be providing training on geothermal technology to the horticulture experts of Himachal Pradesh.
The horticulture minister also described the current and future initiatives to boost the economy of horticulturists in the tribal areas. These include the distribution of advanced and novel crops that will yield higher returns, the use of modern technologies, and the allocation of land to landless individual in tribal areas. These efforts aims to increase the income of the region’s horticultural sector, particularly the small and marginal farmers.
