Odd Hoftun (27 December 1927 – 15 March 2023) was a Norwegian engineer and missionary.
Biography
Hoftun was born in
Ål
Ål is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hallingdal. The administ ...
to power station operator Erik Hoftun and schoolteacher Martha Indergaard. He was educated as electrical engineer from the
Norwegian Institute of Technology
The Norwegian Institute of Technology (Norwegian: ''Norges tekniske høgskole'', NTH) was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 58 years, after which it was m ...
, and subsequently worked at and ''
Drammen’s elektrisitetsverk'' (electric power plant).
[ From 1958 to 1995 he worked in Nepal, sent by HimalPartner. Hoftun's first assignment was to lead the construction of a Mission hospital in ]Tansen
Tansen ( – 26 April 1589), also referred to and commonly known as Sangeet Samrat () , was a Hindustani classical musician. Born in a Hindu Gaur Brahmin family, he learnt and perfected his art in the northwest region of modern Madhya Pra ...
, for United Mission to Nepal The United Mission to Nepal (UMN) was established in 1954 as a co-operative missionary endeavour between the people of Nepal and a number of Christian groups working along the border in India. The mission grew to include many Christian organisatio ...
(UMN). During the construction of the hospital Hoftun found that there was a lack of skilled workers in Nepal and he became the driving force establishing a vocational training centre in Butwal called Butwal Technical Institute (BTI), that opened in 1963.
Hoftun was further a pioneer and key person in the early development of hydropower
Hydropower (from el, ὕδωρ, "water"), also known as water power, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, converting the Pot ...
in Nepal, through ''Butwal Power Company Ltd.'', ''Himal Hydro Ltd.'', and ''Nepal Hydro and Electric (P) Ltd.'' all initiated by Hoftun under UMN.
Hoftun was instrumental in the design, development and construction of Tinau Hydropower Plant
Tinau Hydropower Plant (Nepali: तिनाउ जलविद्युत आयोजना, Tinau Jalbidyut Ayojana) is a run-of-river hydro-electric plant located in Rupandehi District of Nepal. The flow from Tinau River is used to generate ...
, not far from Butwal. The power plant is the first run-of-the-river plant in Nepal. Walking the distance from Butwal to Tansen during the construction of Tansen Mission Hospital, he thought of the possibility to develop a watering channel and a tunnel for power. The idea materialized as the Andhi Khola Hydropower Station. The community project which was developed around it received the United Nations Blue Planet Prize
The recognises outstanding efforts in scientific research or applications of science that contribute to solving global environmental problems. The prize was created by the Asahi Glass Foundation in 1992, the year of the Rio Earth Summit, and ...
in 2004.
Hoftun was also important in the development of Jhimruk Khola Hydropower Station and the Khimti I Hydropower Plant
Khimti I Hydropower Plant is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station with an installed capacity of 60 MW. The flow is 11.65 m3/s and head is 660m. This power station is underground located at Dolakha district of Nepal. The plant became full ...
.
Hoftun received several decorations from the King of Nepal, and was decorated Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit in 1990.
Selected works
*''Fjellandet Nepal'' (1963)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoftun, Odd Hoftun
1927 births
2023 deaths
People from Ål
Norwegian engineers
Norwegian Institute of Technology alumni
Norwegian missionaries
Expatriates in Nepal
Norwegian expatriates
People from Butwal