USTDA Regional Brief - Middle East and North Africa/Europe

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project planning activities, pilot projects, and reverse trade missions while creating sustainable infrastructure and economic growth in partner countries.

Since the agency's creation in 1981, USTDA has provided more than $232 million in funding for activities that support economic needs and priorities in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe (MENA/Europe). Key USTDA investments in the region include project development and investment support studies related to projects in transportation and trade logistics, information and communication technology (ICT), energy supply, water resource management, and disaster preparedness and recovery. USTDA invested $10.1 million in activities in the region in FY 2010. USTDA's recent portfolio includes extensive work in a broad range of sectors, including transportation, energy, water, and ICT.

USTDA will continue its support for key sectors in the MENA/Europe region that represent both high economic development priorities for host country sponsors and strong opportunities for U.S. firms. The following is an illustrative list of recent and ongoing projects in the MENA/Europe region:

Algeria

Wastewater Treatment Plant – USTDA is providing the Algerian Ministry of Water Resources a $256,741 grant to fund a feasibility study for wastewater reuse at the El Karma wastewater treatment plant in Oran. The study will assess different technologies and find cost-effective solutions for wastewater reclamation at the facility. This USTDA-funded assistance will help increase agricultural production, promote economic growth, and enhance food security.

Egypt

Egypt: Forward – Partnering for Trade and Economic Growth – USTDA launched the Egypt: Forward Initiative early in 2011 to promote trade and investment between the United States and the Arab Republic of Egypt, and to support economic growth through sustainable infrastructure development as Egypt transitions to a new governing structure. In June 2011, USTDA hosted a delegation of 54 Egyptian public and private sector leaders for the Egypt: Forward Forum and Site Visits, which drew more than 550 participants. Egypt: Forward will continue as a platform for showcasing project opportunities and facilitating relationships between the U.S. and Egypt, with the overall aim of spurring economic activity and encouraging U.S. private sector involvement in Egypt. Over the coming year, USTDA will host a series of four technical workshops in the information and communication technology (ICT), transportation, energy, and agriculture sectors in Cairo. Please visit http://egyptforward.ustda.gov for more information.

TAQA Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) – USTDA is funding a $603,790 feasibility study grant to the private sector Egyptian company TAQA Arabia. The study will assist the Grantee in determining the feasibility of developing and implementing a CSP plant of 100–250 MW capacity with inherent storage capabilities in Egypt. The goal of the study is to determine the true costs of delivering CSP plants in this size range in Egypt and advise the government on the tariff levels necessary to make such developments feasible.

West Nile Supplementary Pump Station – USTDA is providing a $277,774 technical assistance grant to the Egyptian Ministry for Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) in support of a supplementary pump station in the West Delta region of the Nile. The assistance will support the development of pumping systems to secure the region’s water supply and provide resources for MWRI to meet the critical agricultural needs of the West Delta region.

Egypt Biodigesters Corporation (EBC) – USTDA is providing $283,000 to Energy Allied Egypt to fund a feasibility study that will support the development of the EBC Biodigesters project in Egypt. The objective of the project is to construct 10 biodigester units in six key locations throughout Egypt that will utilize agricultural, animal and organic solid waste for production of liquid and solid fertilizers and biogas for power generation. Implementation of the project will result in the offset of greenhouse gas emissions from existing landfills and unauthorized burns and will represent a significant improvement over the current agricultural waste management practices in Egypt.

Iraq

Civil Aviation Sector Reverse Trade Mission – USTDA funded a reverse trade mission to the United States in February 2010 to familiarize Iraqi civil aviation sector officials with capacity and regulatory practices in the United States as well as advanced U.S. technology and equipment that could be used in the rebuilding of the Iraqi civil aviation sector. A highlight of the visit was a tour of the international airport facilities in New Orleans to observe the efforts to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Jordan

Millennium Energy Industries (MEI) Concentrated Solar Power Plant – USTDA is providing a $701,192 feasibility study grant to MEI in support of a Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Plant for the Ma’an Development Area in Jordan. This study will identify the specific needs of the solar power facility in Ma’an. Implementation of this technology will help Jordan achieve the goal of increasing the use of clean and renewable sources of energy and decreasing dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Electronics Health Records – USTDA is providing $567,605 for a feasibility study to conduct a comprehensive review of the Hakeem electronic health records pilot projects to identify the technical requirements and provide clear evidence of the magnitude of benefits achieved by the electronic health records pilot projects. The study will also estimate the benefits achievable by expanding the project throughout Jordan and create a Business Plan for Electronic Health Systems (EHS) to roll out electronic records throughout Jordan.

Vessel Traffic Service and Integrated Port Community Information System – USTDA is providing a $418,010 grant to Aqaba Development Corporation to partially fund a feasibility study for a Vessel Traffic System (VTS) and an Integrated Port Community Information System for the Port of Aqaba. The VTS will use radar, closed circuit television, very high frequency radiotelephony and automatic identification systems to keep track of vessel movements and provide navigational safety in the Gulf of Aqaba. The feasibility study will contain an assessment of the most appropriate technologies, and the various components of the Aqaba Port, including the entities involved in its operation.

Latvia

Air Traffic Management System Advanced Modernization Program – USTDA is providing $690,170 to fund technical assistance in planning for air traffic capacity increases, air traffic control technologies upgrades and ongoing facilities maintenance at Riga International Airport. The technical assistance will shape the implementation plan that is to proceed over the next ten years, and help the airport to accommodate continuing growth.

Lebanon

Concentrated Solar Power Plant – USTDA is providing a $338,270 grant to the private sector Lebanese company Zeenni’s Trading Agency to fund a feasibility study for a 50 MW CSP Power Plant in Lebanon. This study will follow the success of the solar thermal industry and develop a plan for effectively implementing Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technology in the Byblos region with good potential to replicate this technology in other areas.

Lithuania

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Import Terminal – USTDA provided $826,501 to partially fund a feasibility study on the construction of an LNG import terminal at one of three potential sites along Lithuania’s Baltic Sea coast. The Government of Lithuania has given national priority to developing an LNG import terminal, which would help to fulfill the goal of ensuring energy security for the country.

Morocco

MASEN Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) – USTDA is providing a technical assistance (TA) grant to the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) to support the development of an estimated 125‐150MW CSP project using tower technology in southern Morocco. The TA will provide a detailed assessment to evaluate the technical and financial requirements, as well as the developmental and environmental impacts, of the CSP project. The implementation of this CSP plant will help achieve the Government of Morocco’s stated objective to achieve 2GW of solar power generation capacity by 2020 while decreasing dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Cold Storage Systems – USTDA is funding two grants, one for $531,810 to the Ministry of Agriculture and one for $462,970 to the National Office of Fisheries, to support, respectively, the development of cold storage infrastructure for palm dates and for fish. The technical assistance programs will include studies to identify the specific needs for cold storage infrastructure and facilities that will reduce losses in fishing and palm date production industries, which are both supported under the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Compact with Morocco. Both programs will include a training component that targets producers, fishermen, and producer associations.

Essaouira Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Power Plant – USTDA is funding a $631,000 grant to support the development of a 5MW solar PV pilot project in Essaouira, Morocco. The funding will provide technical assistance designed to identify the specific needs of a solar PV power plant and will serve to establish a baseline for evaluating and replicating solar PV plants of similar scope throughout Morocco.

Royal Air Maroc (RAM) Operations Optimization – USTDA is providing $337,880 for a feasibility study grant to RAM to develop an operations optimization program in support of the establishment of a hub for RAM’s operations at Casablanca’s Mohammed V Airport. The study will address flight punctuality, baggage and ground handling, passenger processing, and other vital processes to accommodate increasing numbers of international passengers and meet stricter international regulations. The study will provide to RAM the foundation for sustainable long-term growth and the ability to meet future demand.

Romania

Electronic Election Management System (EEMS) – USTDA is providing $344,422 to the Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania to support a feasibility study that will develop an integrated IT-based solution to improve the accuracy of voting. The study will develop a high-level assessment and implementation plan combining technical, managerial, and institutional recommendations. Successful implementation of the EEMS will considerably improve the experience of Romanian citizens with the voting process, and build a higher level of trust in election results.

Motorola SCADA Water Management – USTDA is partnering with Motorola and one of the largest water companies in Romania, RAJA Constanta to conduct a water management pilot project focusing on the design and implementation of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. The pilot project is intended to demonstrate a SCADA system’s capacity to reduce RAJA Constanta's operational and maintenance costs and monitor and control its water supply. Given RAJA Constanta’s prominent role in the Romanian water sector, the success of this pilot project could encourage widespread adoption of these efficiency-improving U.S. technologies by other water companies in Romania and neighboring countries.

Integrated Network for Education and Technologies – USTDA is funding a $366,841 technical assistance grant to the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth for the development of an Integrated Network for Education and Technologies (INET) project. INET’s design and implementation will represent an upgrade to existing networks and IT infrastructure at schools, universities and research centers to help develop students’ skills to satisfy the growing needs of employers as well as the nation’s need for improved innovation.

Turkey

İSTAÇ Waste-to-Energy Power Plant – USTDA is providing a $491,160 feasibility study grant in support of a municipal solid waste-to-energy (WTE) plant that would be implemented to provide a lasting solution to İSTAÇ’s space limitation at the Odayeri Landfill site. The proposed WTE plant would have a 70 MW generation capacity, enough to provide power to 350,000 households in the area, and would extend the remaining life of the landfill, reduce methane and odor emissions from the landfill site, and help İSTAÇ meet the municipal solid waste incineration targets.

Flood Forecasting and Early Warning System Feasibility Study – USTDA is funding a $507,420 feasibility study for the Turkish State Meteorological Service (TSMS) to develop an implementation plan to meet national-level Flood Forecasting and Early Warning System needs, including hardware, software, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Relational Database Management Systems (RDMS), sensors, weather and water monitoring equipment, communications equipment, and modeling systems.

Emergency Management Sector Reverse Trade Mission – USTDA funded a $226,466 reverse trade mission (RTM) to bring senior officials from the Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Authority and other Turkish agencies to the United States to meet with U.S. companies active in the emergency management sector and U.S. Government agencies. The RTM included visits to command and control centers, communications hubs, and emergency alert systems in the United States, and supports the Government of Turkey as it seeks to improve its emergency response capacity. The RTM took place in December 2010.

West Bank - Palestinian Territories

Rawabi New City (Rawabi) Development – USTDA is funding two grants to Bayti Real Estate Investment Company in support of the Rawabi development in the West Bank. The first grant of $273,772 will support a feasibility study to perform a detailed economic analysis of wastewater treatment technologies for wastewater reclamation and reuse within Rawabi and for irrigation of adjacent agricultural land and industrial sites. The second grant will support technical assistance related to the development of an ICT Master Plan for Rawabi. These two grants will advance the use of environmentally beneficial technologies for wastewater reuse in this water scarce region and provide residents with cost-effective essential ICT services, respectively, to help realize the vision of an affordable and environmentally sustainable residential community in the West Bank that is simultaneously a hub for a knowledge-based economy.

Geothermal for District Heating and Cooling – USTDA is providing a $438,162 feasibility study grant to MENA Geothermal Ground Energy and Investment Company, Ltd. to examine the viability of a geothermal heating and cooling system for a planned 500-unit affordable housing complex in the West Bank. The use of geothermal technology in this project will help achieve the goal of increasing the use of clean and renewable sources of energy and decreasing dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Regional

Maghreb Solar Reverse Trade Mission – USTDA is funding a reverse trade mission (RTM) to introduce public and private sector representatives from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia to advanced solar technologies in the United States. Delegates will travel to the United States to gain exposure to advanced solar-specific technologies through site visits to generation facilities and through meetings with leading U.S. companies. The RTM will take place in late 2011.

Renewable Energy Reverse Trade Mission – USTDA funded a reverse trade mission to the United States in October 2010 for 14 public and private sector representatives from Egypt and Morocco. The itinerary introduced delegates to U.S. solutions for their energy needs through meetings with U.S. renewable energy power equipment suppliers, energy consultants, energy efficiency suppliers, and various U.S. public and private sector associations and agencies.

MENA Power 2010 Forum – The USTDA-sponsored MENA Power 2010 Forum, held in May 2010 in Cairo, Egypt, matched senior policy makers and project sponsors in the electric power sector from the MENA region with U.S. providers of advanced equipment and service solutions. The conference highlighted projects in electricity generation, transmission, distribution and regional interconnection. The conference presented substantial commercial opportunities to U.S. companies in the electricity sector, while simultaneously helping to advance electricity projects vital for economic development.

Yemen

National Rural Electrification Program – USTDA is funding a $259,382 technical assistance grant to the Yemeni Ministry of Electricity and Energy (MOEE) in support of the National Rural Electrification Program. This grant follows a recent USTDA-funded grant designed to establish both the legal and regulatory framework for national rural electrification policy and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). The present technical assistance will define a detailed and definitive transition plan in order for REA to effectively manage all rural electrification activities in Yemen, and will help MOEE and REA to establish the Rural Electric Service Providers responsible for rural electric networks in Yemen.