MISSION STATEMENT

RENEWABLE ENERGY MISSION

DENMARK AND SWEDEN

Copenhagen, Denmark May 26, 2008

Stockholm and Jonkoping, Sweden May 27-May 29, 2008

MISSION DESCRIPTION

The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA) Renewable Energy Team and the U.S. Commercial Service (CS) offices in Stockholm, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark are organizing a five-day industry-specific Renewable Energy Mission to Denmark and Sweden, May 26-29, 2008. The product areas include solar, wind, geothermal and tidal power generation tools, biomass and biofuel manufacturing technologies and sustainable housing products.

Participants will spend one day in Copenhagen, meeting with Danish government representatives, business multiplier groups and the Danish business community, matchmaking and visiting sites of commercial interest. The trip will then continue to Sweden and to both Jönköping and Stockholm, where the group will have a one-day program at each stop, including panel discussions, site visits, matchmaking and networking. We hope to attract 15-20 U.S. company representatives responsible for their corporate activity in the Nordic region.

COMMERCIAL SETTING

The Nordic countries are world leaders in the use of both renewable energy and alternative fuels. The governments are inclined to invest in energy research and to provide tax benefits, fund expansion plans, electricity certificate programs and production incentives for the increased use of alternative fuels and renewable energy. Our U. S. Ambassadors are highly engaged in alternative energy programs as their top priorities in Sweden and Denmark. They have developed high-level, close working relationships with the governments of both countries and are eager to introduce U. S. companies to the Nordic governments and their aggressive program for fossil-fuel independence. For added reference, and although they are not scheduled stops, market opportunity information is also provided for Finland and Norway. Interested U.S. firms are also welcome to contact the Commercial Service in those two countries for possible individual follow-on visits before or after the Trade Mission.

The Nordic energy markets provide excellent opportunities for U.S. companies within the following product areas: equipment and plant technology for the upgrade of nuclear, hydropower and CHP plants; wind power turbine technology and components; solar and geothermal technologies; biomass processing technology; natural gas network technology and power grid infrastructure; and renewable vehicle fuel, battery and engine production technologies.

Quick Nordic facts:

• Comparatively large economies with total GDP of USD 1.344 billion
• Primary trade partners: EU, U.S. and Asia
• Imports from the U.S. in 2006 USD 11.7 billion
• Renewable Energy Technology best prospect for U.S. exports in all four countries
• Sophisticated industrial and retail consumers
• Low inflation, low unemployment
• All four countries are in the TOP-10 of the WEF Global Competitiveness Ranking

Denmark

• Denmark has a long tradition of using renewable energy. Since the energy crisis in 1973 has sought to increase its self-sufficiency of energy. The first steps towards this goal were investments in energy savings and the conversion of Danish power plants from oil to coal. Later on, focus was on the development of oil and natural gas recovery in the North Sea. The first subsidies for the construction and operation of wind turbines and biomass plants were introduced in 1981, and a string of energy agreements followed in the decades to come, all with the purpose of increasing self-sufficiency of energy by means of increasing production of renewable energy. Denmark has been self-sufficient in energy since 1998.

• Approximately 65 percent of the wind turbine world market is covered by Danish produced elements. The Danish wind energy industry cluster is one of the most complete in the world and still has a global market share of approximately 40 percent for large wind turbines.

• Particular strongholds for Denmark include wind energy, biomass and solar energy. Denmark also has world-class solutions in heat pumps, biofuel, fuel cells, Plastic PV Cells, Wave Energy and hydrogen. Furthermore Denmark is leading in the areas of energy-saving solutions and energy efficiency.

• Denmark will host the United Nations Climate Summit in 2009 – Conference of Parties 15 December 2009. The business community and its organizations’ interest in having their points of view considered and their interests represented prior to the conference has increased steadily. The Danish Government has therefore decided to establish a Panel of Climate Related Business Interests. http://www.cop15.dk/en/

Sweden

• Sweden, aims to break its oil dependency by 2020, according to official policy. Currently some 26% of the total energy produced in Sweden comes from renewable sources, mainly in the form of biofuels, biomass and wind power. Electricity production is already today practically fossil-free as it is produced by nuclear and hydropower. The use of small-scale power sources, such as solar and geothermal power is increasing, and innovative sustainable production technologies are being used more widely.

• Sweden produces a considerable impressive fleet of bio-fuelled vehicles (cars and trucks) that run on ethanol and biogas and to some extent on DME (dimethylether) and RME (rapeseedmethylester). Sweden has advanced programs for waste to fuel, but this area presents their most substantial challenge for meeting the goal of fossil-fuel independence.

• To break oil dependency by 2020, the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning has published new regulations for one-family houses and promotes, together with the Swedish Energy Agency, the construction of the so-called Passive Houses (Zero Emission Houses).

• The industry is developing programs replacing fossil-based materials with bio-based fibers, plastics and vegetable oils.

Finland

• Finland is one of the leading industrial countries in the use of bioenergy. About 25% of the country's total energy requirement came from renewable energy sources in 2004, totaling 1,480 PJ (35.3 Mtoe). This number includes wood and wood based fuels, hydropower, wind power and recycled fuels. In power production, the share of renewable energy sources is close to 30%.

• The construction of a fifth commercial nuclear reactor was authorized by the Parliament in 2002 after years of controversy. The location of the power plant will be in Olkiluoto, located at Eurajoki, some 150 miles Northwest of Helsinki. The new plant will start up in 2009 and its power output will be about 1,600 MW.

• Finland is actively expanding the role of renewable energy in energy production, in accordance to the Finnish Action Plan for Renewable Energy, launched by the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1999, and updated in 2002. The goal is to double the utilization of renewable energy sources by 2025 compared to the figures of 2001, when the share of renewable energy was about 23% (317 petajoules (PJ) or 7.6 Mtoe) of the total energy consumption. The increase will be achieved primarily from increased utilization of bioenergy. Wind power is rapidly gaining popularity worldwide. In Finland it is an emerging form of power generation.

Norway

• Norway has a higher share of renewable electricity than any of the EU member states, and the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has indicated a target for Norway of 90 percent renewable electricity in 2010. In line with government policy this calls for a significant increase in the production of renewable electricity.

• Norway has the world's largest per capita hydropower production, and is the sixth largest hydropower producer in the world. In a year with normal precipitation, hydropower generation is around 120 TWh, corresponding to approximately 99 percent of Norway's total power production.

• Production of power and other use of fossil energy is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Capture of CO2 and storage of CO2 in oil/gas reservoirs and geological formations emerges as a potential measure to reduce global emissions and Norway aims to make carbon capture and storage (CCS) a reality.

MISSION GOALS

The mission will assist representatives of American companies responsible for business activity in the Nordic area with their efforts to identify profitable opportunities and new markets for their respective U.S. companies and to increase their export potential. In addition, we hope to encourage and increase Sweden-U.S. co-operational efforts with renewable energy technology and products exchange, based on the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Sweden and the U.S.

The summary of results expected from the mission includes finding potential partners, agents and distributors, joint venture partners; increase cooperation in the renewable energy technology R&D between the Nordics and U.S. and provide market knowledge for future expansions.

MISSION SCENARIO

Participants will arrive in Copenhagen on Sunday, May 25.  Monday morning, after an operational briefing by the mission organizers, the group will have a half-day conference that gives an overview of the Danish energy market and a briefing on the upcoming 2009 COP 15 Summit. During the course of the morning, the mission will meet with representatives of the Ministry of Climate and Energy, Energy Agency, Invest in Denmark Agency and other governmental organizations as appropriate. The government will brief the mission on programs and opportunities in Denmark within alternative energy. The U.S. companies will then have an opportunity to showcase their products and services to potential Danish clients in a matchmaking format. The mission will depart for Jönköping, Sweden in the evening after a reception at the Ambassador’s residence.

On Tuesday the group visits the World Bioenergy Conference in Jönköping and the day will start off with a U.S.-Sweden panel on cooperation opportunities within the renewable energy sector. The mission will meet representatives of the U.S.-Sweden alternative energy-working group, including both Government of Sweden and non-governmental organizations. During the course of the day, the mission participants will visit the exhibition, choose between several site visit tours, and have matchmaking meetings with potential Swedish contacts at the conference venue. The evening will end with a conference dinner.

The Mission will depart for Stockholm on Wednesday morning and will start the day with a matchmaking event at the U.S. Embassy, followed by industrial site visits and ending with a final reception at the Ambassador’s residence.

Meals during the mission will be hosted at various locations and include guest speakers covering cleantech related subjects and/or cultural topics.

While the World Bioenergy Conference in Jönköping will have both private and public sector participants from all the four Nordic countries and we intend to include them in the Mission activities, the U.S. participants will also have an option to continue their travel to Oslo, Norway and/or Helsinki, Finland once the Swedish portion of the program is complete. The offices in both countries will stand ready to assist the participants by offering the regular CS services.

The precise schedule will depend on the availability of local government and business officials and the specific goals of the mission participants.

Applications received after April 28, 2008 will be considered only if space and scheduling constraints permit.

MISSION TIMETABLE

Sunday, May 25, 2008

- Arrive Copenhagen

Monday, May 26, 2008

- U.S. –Denmark Renewable Energy Public-Private conference/networking, U.S. Embassy

- Matchmaking meetings with potential Danish contacts and clients, U.S. Embassy

- Reception at the Ambassador’s residence

- Depart for Sweden and J önköping at 20:30

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 (at the World Bioenergy Conference & Exhibition)

- Sweden – U.S. Panel on Renewable Energy Cooperation Opportunities

- Tour of the World Bioenergy Exhibition

- Matchmaking meetings with potential Nordic contacts and clients

• Site Visits/excursion tours

- Reception/get-together at the Exhibition hall

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

- Depart for Stockholm 09:30

- Matchmaking meetings with potential Swedish contacts and clients, U.S. Embassy

- Site Visit (sustainable city/DH plant)

- Reception at the Ambassador’s residence

Thursday, May 29, 2008

- Mission members depart Stockholm

CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION

Targeted mission participants are U.S. companies providing renewable energy products, solutions and services that have an interest in learning more about increasing their exports to the Nordic energy markets. The following criteria will be evaluated in selecting participants:

• Relevance of the company’s business to the mission goals;
• Market potential for business in the Nordic markets;
• Timeliness of the company’s completed application and participation agreement signed by a company officer
• Provision of adequate information on the company’s products and/or services, and communication of the company’s primary objectives to facilitate appropriate matching with potential business partners;
• Timely receipt of the participation fee of USD 1,200. The fee does not include airfare, hotels, all meals or other personal expenses;
• A minimum of 10 or a maximum of 20 companies participating in the mission.

Participating companies’ products and/or services must be manufactured or produced in the United States or if manufactured/produced outside of the United States, the product/service must be marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have U.S. content representing at least 51 percent of the value of the finished good or service.

Recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner, including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the Internet, press releases to the general and trade media.

Any partisan political activities of an applicant, including political contributions, will be entirely irrelevant to the selection process.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Keith Curtis, Regional Commercial Officer AND
Tuula Javanainen, Commercial Specialist
U.S. Commercial Service
U.S. Embassy
Dag Hammarskj ölds väg 31
115 89 Stockholm
Sweden
Tel. 46 8 783 5396
Email: keith.curtis@mail.doc.gov and Tuula.Javanainen@mail.doc.gov

Bjarke Frederiksen, Commercial Specialist
U.S. Commercial Service
U.S. Embassy
Dag Hammarskjölds Allé 24
DK-2100 Copenhagen
Denmark
Tel.: 45 3341 7403
Email: bjarke.frederiksen@mail.doc.gov

Aaron Held
Commercial Officer
United States Commercial Service
55 S. Market Street, Suite 1040
San Jose, CA 95113
Main: 408-535-2757
Direct: 408-535-2746
Email: aaron.held@mail.doc.gov