Finnish cleantech companies eye India

Cleantech Finland, a group of clean technology firms, is looking to do joint projects with Indian companies in energy efficiency, water treatment and bio-energy.

One of these Finnish companies, Chempolis, said it has developed and patented bio-refining technologies to refine residual agricultural biomasses into high-quality products. It intends to establish a subsidiary in India to enable multiple bio-refinery projects.

India has a wealth of biomass (such as bagasse and straws) that could be utilised more efficiently. The company estimates that if only 30% of straws and bagasse is used, there is potential for profitable bio-refining of 120 Mt/a of straws and bagasse into 40 Mt/a of bio-ethanol, biodiesel and biochemicals.

Kemira, a water chemistry company, said that it has the technologies and knowledge of drinking and waste water treatment that can solve both urban and rural India's water-related problems.

Ensto Group, which develops electric grids, has said that it has technological solutions to deal with the India's huge problem of power distribution losses.

Metso, a mining and construction company, said it can offer “solution mining" a technology that extracts minerals using chemicals injected through many small holes drilled into the ground instead of a big hole.