“We are the leader in hydro power plants; we have plants in Faridabad, Bhopal. We are strong in tunnelling, providing technological help in the Atal Tunnel, smart city systems like traffic, toll system (the toll system in Mumbai’s Sea Link is by Austria). Now, we want to focus on green technology and circular machinery which is basically recycling machinery. We are good at water treatment so we are working in Bengal on a Ganga rehabilitation plant. We are also assisting and financing the Yamuna sewage treatment plant under construction in Agra,” says Hoertnagl, giving a brief idea about Austria-India cooperation.

Sustainable agriculture cooperation projects are going on with some institutions, there are cooperation opportunities in renewable energy, smart cities, cable car ropeways, etc. For weather calamities like what happened in Kerala or recurring issues in Assam or the Himalayan states, Austria has a strong flood management technology system. Skill development is another area where Austria is keen. In fact, recently a group was trained in welding. “We can offer technical know-how to ITIs, colleges, etc. These are specialised technology sectors which are owned by families for generations together, Austria can offer it to India. Austria is interested in the Indian talent pool. We would like to cooperate with the talent pool,” he says.

About future bilateral cooperation, he says: “It all depends on how much India plans to invest. We can work on smart city projects, rehabilitation, etc. We have a very strong alternative fuel technology for cement, India is the second largest cement producer in the world, 40% of the production is energy. We have a system which uses waste. We recycle normal household waste, industrial waste and prepare it for industrial burners. Indian delegations were in Austria last year.”