Shimla:Micromax, the domestic mobile handset major, plans to foray into tapping solar energy by setting up a farm in Himachal, for which it has expressed interest with the industry department, top officials said.
“We have received a letter of intent from Micromax for generating 400 MW of solar energy, said JS Rana commissioner industry. “The proposal is being examined before it is taken to the single window authority for principal approval, he added.
He disclosed that the project involved an investment target of Rs 830 crore and plans were afoot to set up the solar farm in the industrial belt of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh.
Micromax has also put forth a proposal before the Andhra Pradesh government to set up a solar cells manufacturing unit that involved an investment of about Rs 1500 crores.
Reports hold that Micromax is currently selling about 1 million mobile phone handsets per month through its retailer network and plans to double sales in six months.
The company is sourcing its handsets from from Taiwan, South Korea and China and also used to produce fixed wireless telephone equipment at its plant in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh that has now been shut down.
Rana also disclosed that Sun Juices, a subsidiary of a US company plans to foray into fruit processing in Himachal and has planned to set up two units, one at Baddi and the other in the fruit growing area of Shimla district.
The fruit processing investment proposal is for Rs 540 crores and it is being examined, he added.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
