U.S. Trade Development Agency to provide funds for upgrading the Romanian power sector (Jan 27, 2006)

(Initially published in www.romania-report.ro -- Jan 27, 2006)


Washington -- The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has awarded two grants to Romania, worth nearly $574,000, to help modernize the country’s power industry and meet European standards, the USTDA announced on Wednesday.

The agency awarded a $271,054 grant to the SC Termoelectrica SA, the largest power-generation enterprise in Romania, to strengthen its environmental monitoring and control capabilities, USTDA said in news release.

The grant “will help Termoelectrica to prepare for Romania’s accession to the European Union (EU) by funding a feasibility study to determine the best method for upgrading emissions monitoring and control systems at 21 of the company’s largest power plants,” the news release said. As a condition of its proposed admission to the EU, Romania has agreed to limit the pollutant levels from its major industrial facilities. This, in turn, opens commercial opportunities for U.S. firms with expertise in emissions monitoring and control, the agency said.

The agency also awarded $302,940 to the city of Iasi in northeastern Romania to help increase the efficiency and reliability of municipal heat-and-power facilities while lowering overall costs and emissions.

The grant will fund a study analyzing the proposed conversion of a portion of the city’s Combined Heat and Power Plant 1 (CET 1) to a gas-turbine facility. CET 1 is one of two plants that provide heat and hot water to Iasi. The city recently completed the conversion of another plant from lignite to low-sulfur bituminous coal firing. The city also has secured European financing for modernizing its heat-distribution system.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency funds various forms of technical assistance, feasibility studies, training, orientation visits and business workshops in developing and transition economies to promote development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment.

Romania over the past year was one of the world’s most improved economies on the 2006 Index of Economic Freedom released in January by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal.

Source: the U.S. Department of State