UK supports a low carbon and climate resilient Kolkata
UK companies offer support towards developing a low carbon and climate resilient Kolkata.
UK supports a low carbon and climate resilient Kolkata
UK companies specialising in urban design and planning visited Kolkata and met with Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and state government officials on potential areas for collaboration in the low-carbon sector. An interactive session titled ‘Showcasing UK expertise towards developing a low carbon and climate resilient Kolkata’ provided the platform for British businesses to discuss and understand the strengths and opportunities in Kolkata’s low-carbon sector and also provide their expertise and solutions.
British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith, Hon’ble Mayor of Kolkata Sovan Chatterjee, Municipal Commissioner Khalil Ahmed, and the British Deputy High Commissioner Kolkata Scott Furssedonn-Wood spoke at the event. PwC gave a presentation on the proposed interventions in the UK-KMC low-carbon roadmap to be implemented in the coming years. Ten UK companies specialising in waste, energy and water management, smart parking, street lighting and renewable energy presented their expertise and offer to the delegates present at the event.
Speaking at the event, the British High Commissioner to India said:
The KMC-UK Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a green and smart Kolkata is a fantastic example of what greening the economy looks like in practice – creating business opportunities in low-carbon growth; reducing carbon emissions, building skills and capacity and making cities more climate resilient.
Further information
UK and Kolkata have a longstanding partnership on promoting sustainable development in the city. The UK-KMC roadmap was launched in January 2016 by the then Minister for Skills Priti Patel. The British Deputy High Commission, Kolkata, signed an MoU with KMC during the visit of the then UK Prime Minister David Cameron.
The MoU delivered a £1 Million Technical Assistance Programme aimed at the following:
- to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and electricity bills and also respond to the impacts of a changing climate
- to introduce policies and schemes to generate new sustainable economic opportunities through green job creation
- to introduce state-of-the-art municipal services that support clean and green development of the city
Profiles of participating UK companies
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CDE Asia: CDE is a globally recognized brand in the design and manufacture of customized equipment for the quarrying, mining, recycling and waste management industries. CDE Asia Ltd, located in Kolkata, is the Asian arm of CDE global which is based in Northern Ireland, UK. They have a manufacturing unit and testing laboratory near Kolkata.
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DelAgua: DelAgua is a portable water-testing kit supplier, working with different government organisations, NGOs and universities all across the world. The company was founded at the University of Surrey in 1985. DelAgua provides services to municipal authorities and state governments to design, implement and manage large scale water testing programmes.
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Global Green Solutions: Global Green Solutions consultant is an engineering design and advisory consultancy. The organisation is a consortium with people who have proven track record in the field of sustainable development of cities, renewable energy, recycled/desalinated water and sustainable transport system.
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MSR IT Ltd: MSR IT Solutions Pvt Ltd (MSR) was formed in the UK in 2005 and has its dedicated development centre in Kolkata. The company offers services like remote infrastructure management, product development and support. The company’s offering is focused on enhanced urban living by leveraging latest OEM products and integrating them with smart control systems managed by user-friendly mobile applications that are built customised to the needs of end users.
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Purcell: Purcell is among the few architectural practices in the UK who started what is now popularly known as architectural conservation. They have 16 offices in the UK and one office each in Hong Kong, Melbourne and Delhi. Their work embraces new building design, conservation of historical buildings & sites and associated master planning, social impact assessment and public engagement.
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R-MC Power: Established for almost 50 years, R-MC are the pioneers of on-line gas turbine compressor cleaning. They continue to develop products and methods that can maximise compressor efficiency and power output. In the environmental sector R-MC provides services for domestic and industrial wastewater treatment; waste management services for SWM, bio-medical waste, e-waste and hazardous waste disposal; contaminated land & groundwater remediation from hazardous chemicals – Arsenic, Mercury, PAH’s etc.
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SCOREIndia consortium: Development Consultants Pvt. Ltd will present to the roundtable on a consortium called SCOREIndia (storage, control and optimisation of renewable energy in India), which is firmly engaged in renewable energy (solar) and energy management. Heriot Watt University (HWU) is the UK academic partner for the consortium, working with Scene Consulting of Edinburgh and Odisha and Findhorn Foundation College (FFC).
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Sensus: Sensus, a UK company, which is a leading provider of smart grid and smart metering communication technologies for the utilities. With more than 10,000 customers in five continents and presence in 42 countries, Sensus have delivered 80 million end points. Sensus’s FlexNet is a dedicated and secure two-way communications network which is a proven platform that delivers reliable, scalable, secure data that helps utilities to operate efficiently and provide better service to their customers.
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Steer Davies Gleave: Steer Davies Gleave is an independent consultancy working worldwide across the transport sector. They provide strategic advice that is underpinned by technical excellence and expert opinion. Their expertise embraces all modes of transport, providing clients with extensive and detailed insight needed to make good decisions and progress in what is often a complex planning and operating environment.
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Terra Vac: Terra Vac is one of the UK’s leading contaminated land and groundwater remediation specialists. Founded in the early 1990s, Terra Vac offers the full spectrum of environmental services, specialising in the in-situ cleanup of soils and groundwater using ‘traditional’ and ‘leading edge’ technologies, many of which have been developed in-house.
For media queries, please contact:
Stuart Adam, Head,
Press and Communications
British High Commission, Chanakyapuri
New Delhi 110021
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Mail to: Mainak De
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