USTDA ESTABLISHES CLEAN ENERGY PARTNERSHIP WITH TURKEY TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE
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Advances President Obama’s Efforts to Promote Clean Energy Technologies |
MENR Minister Hilmi Güler (left) listens to remarks by USTDA Acting Director Leocadia I. Zak (right) at the MOA signing ceremony.
ANKARA, TURKEY (April 4, 2009) – In advance of President Obama's visit to the Republic of Turkey, USTDA and Turkey's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (MENR) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) outlining a broad program of cooperation in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and clean coal technology. The activities outlined in the MOA build upon USTDA's support for projects that spur economic growth and development in Turkey and create jobs for U.S. workers throughout the United States.
USTDA Acting Director Leocadia I. Zak and MENR Minister Hilmi Güler signed the MOA on behalf of the U.S. and Turkish governments, respectively. “This agreement reaffirms our shared commitment to the development of government-to-government cooperation, while recognizing the importance of private sector solutions in meeting energy challenges in an environmentally-friendly manner,” said Acting Director Zak. Furthering this commitment, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu recently sent a letter to Minister Güler expressing the Department's interest in, "working with Turkey to greatly improve and diversify energy use, develop renewable energy, and reduce carbon emissions."
The MOA confirms USTDA funding approval for four projects identified by MENR as priorities for Turkey's continued economic growth. The projects include training for Turkish officials in energy planning and modeling, such as energy supply and demand projections; support for energy efficiency projects, with a focus on public, industrial and residential facilities, and the development of private sector energy service companies; a feasibility study on the gasification of Turkish coal; and technical assistance in the implementation of solar power technologies.
Together, these activities will advance key objectives of the Obama Administration by reducing carbon emissions, investing in clean energy and creating U.S. jobs associated with the deployment of advanced clean energy technologies. Moreover, the activities will lessen Turkey's dependence on natural gas as a source of electric power and will assist in limiting the adverse effects of carbon emissions from new power generation as Turkey moves toward European Union accession.
To date, more than $630 million in U.S. exports that translate directly into American jobs are associated with USTDA's involvement in Turkey. Those projects include the development of the Germencik geothermal power plant, the Nuh energy cogeneration power plant, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. Other sectors that have received USTDA support in Turkey include transportation, telecommunications, water and the environment, and agribusiness. Since 1981, USTDA has provided approximately $20 million in support of priority development projects in Turkey.
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, early investment analysis, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment. USTDA's strategic use of foreign assistance funds to support sound investment policy and decision-making in host countries creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and sustainable economic development. In carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis to economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services.
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