Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology has contracted China-based INSTEC Import and Export Company Limited to establish solar-powered ice plants on four islands in the country.
The agreement was signed at a ceremony attended by the Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan and Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology Aminath Shauna. The ceremony was also attended by council members of the four islands where the ice plants will be established.
The ice plants will be established in Landhoo in Noonu Atoll and Buruni, Madifushi, and Vilufushi in Thaa Atoll, under the project. As such, a 15-tonne ice plant and 30-tonne storage capacity will be established in Landhoo, Madifushi, and Vilufushi and a five-tonne ice plant and 15-tonne storage will be established in Buruni. The initiative is part of the government's efforts to achieve the carbon Net-Zero 2023 goal.
The project was assigned to be completed within 240 days at a cost of USD1.7 million. The establishment of the ice plants is being carried out to provide easy access to the services needed by fishermen from any region in the Maldives. Ice plants have been established in many islands during the past four years.