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Environmental Technologies Industries
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Newsletter |
| December 1999 |
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| Environmental Technologies Newsletter |
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| Export Finance Conferences Coming Soon By George Litman Environmental Technologies Exports The U.S. Department of Commerce's Environmental Technologies Team is conducting a series of conferences in five American cities (Fairfax, Houston, Seattle, Atlanta, Boston) that will provide you, the international business executive, with a "hands-on" presentation on the various grants and export finance programs that are available to U.S. environmental exporters. The program in each city will provide detailed information on grant programs provided by the National Association of State Development Agencies (NASDA) and Ecolinks - the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Eastern Europe program. The U.S. Export-Import Bank will focus on its special finance programs designed for the new- to-export and small-to-medium sized environmental companies. The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) will present the most effective methods for accessing its feasibility studies, grants, and various forms of technical assistance. Representatives from the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, and North American Development Bank will reveal how you can compete for infrastructure and industrial projects in emerging markets by accessing the annual $45 billion portfolio at these five multilateral development banks. The conferences will be held in Fairfax, Virginia January 19; Houston, Texas February 11; Atlanta, Georgia March 7; Seattle, Washington April 4; and Boston, Massachusetts May 9. For more information, contact George Litman at 202-482-0560. China’s Environmental Marketplace By Susan Simon Environmental Technologies Exports China’s EPA Head Cites Projects, Priorities From getting rid of trash more efficiently, to cleaning up the air, water, and soil pollution, China’s environmental needs are getting top priority. According to State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) head Xie Zhenhua, China requires more than USD $10 billion in annual environmental investments, of which roughly half will come from overseas. In an interview in September, Xie stated that 20 years of eight percent economic growth created numerous environmental problems in China. The government’s challenging goal is to maintain economic growth of 7 percent while keeping pollution at 1995 levels. Currently, fewer than half of all industrial enterprises in China meet SEPA’s national pollution emission standards. SEPA recently announced that enterprises must meet standards by the end of next year or be shut down. Under an anti-air pollution law amendment submitted to the National People’s Congress (NPC) in late August, 1999, China will spend between $14.5 billion and $18.1 billion to combat air pollution in 34 major cities. The estimates to clean up Beijing’s air pollution alone are about $723 million; Shanghai needs $3.6 billion. Since most air pollution is energy-related, Xie said China must shift its energy structure away from coal toward oil and gas. According to a November 13, 1999 article in the English language newspaper China Daily, coal plays a leading role in energy consumption and low grade coal is used for 75 percent of the people’s energy needs. Xie wants coal burned more efficiently and cleanly, and believes coal desulfurization is cost-effective. The NPC committed $21.7 billion to targeted areas seriously suffering from acid rain and SO2. Xie cites the following as China’s most important priorities requiring urgent attention: Water pollution, particularly in the so-called "three rivers"–the Huai, the Hai, and Liao, and three lakes, the Taihu, the Chaohu, and Dianchi; Marine pollution in Bohai Bay; Urban Air pollution and acid rain, mostly from power plants and home furnaces; Municipal waste water and organic waste from paper mills, breweries, tanneries, and electronic manufacturing plants; Run-off of agricultural chemicals into rivers and lakes; Growing pollution from automobiles. There’s Will, But is There a Way? Xie concedes that, while the necessary legislation may be in place, enforcement is another matter altogether. The two greatest obstacles are funding and technology. SEPA officials have also conceded that reform of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is a third major obstacle. Large, financially weak SOEs are among China’s worst polluters. Their equipment is outdated and they lack resources to modernize or implement pollution controls. The SEPA officials said some local officials do not adequately support SEPA’s work, fearing that cracking down on SOE polluters will hamper economic growth and affect social stability. Not surprisingly, Shenzhen - a free market special economic zone (SEZ) that borders Hong Kong and has few - if any - SOE’s is the only Chinese city to meet air quality standards to date. Nonetheless, Xie claims that all levels of the Chinese government recognize the imperative for sustainable development. Total environmental spending by enterprises and all levels of government surpassed 1 percent of GDP, reaching USD$12 billion. That’s one half of the amount the World Bank estimates China needs to spend annually just to achieve U.S. air quality standards of the early 1980's by 2020. Bilateral JCCT Environment Subgroup Signs 1999-2000 Work Plan During a visit to China in early September, Alan Bowser, Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for USDOC Basic Industries, on behalf of ETE’s Acting DAS Carlos Montoulieu, and Wang Zhijia, Director General for International Cooperation for the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), signed the Joint Commission for Commerce and Trade (JCCT) Environment Subgroup’s 1999-2000 Work Plan. Among the Work Plan projects proposed by SEPA and listed as conditional subject to identification of funding is a Comprehensive Environmental Demonstration program. SEPA officials clarified they seek more capacity-building programs and exchanges to promote the enforcement of and voluntary compliance with environmental regulation, including market-based incentives and Superfund-type mechanisms. Another of the Work Plan’s conditional technical projects that received subsequent funding from ETE is a Water Resources Management Training Workshop for 10-15 senior Chinese Environmental managers. The Workshop will take place in Seattle/Tacoma in late March, immediately after Globe 2000. Water, Air, and Solid Waste Projects in Guangzhou On November 4, 1999, nearly 200 guests attended the signing ceremony for the service contract for the design, construction, and operation of Guangzhou’s Xi Lang Wastewater Collection and Treatment Project. The public/private Sino-American joint venture project between the Guangzhou Lemna Xi Lang Wastewater Treatment Company, Ltd., and the Municipality of Guangzhou is the first of its kind. The agreement marked a major milestone after nearly six years developing the project’s structure, and launched the project’s implementation phase. Recent Reports The following recent reports on various aspects of China’s Environmental technology market are available on www.stat-usa.gov: Hard Currency Environmental Projects (135 pp); Water Treatment and Supply Concession Projects in China (43 pp); Solid Wastes Management Technologies (19 pp); China Legalizes Scrap Plastics Imports Under Strict Standards (6 pp); Trip Report of International Buyer Program (IBP) to WEFTEC’99 (includes list of the 17 Chinese environmental specialists from Sichuan and Yunnan provinces who attended); Coal Washing Equipment Market (3 pp); No Clean Environ Without Clean Government (9 pp). For a full report of recent developments in China’s environmental marketplace (including Honk Kong), see ETE’s website at http://www.environment.ita.doc.gov, and visit the “Market Plans” section. To speak with ETE’s China trade specialist, contact Susan Simon at 202-482-0713. ETE at WEFTEC 2000 By George Litman Environmental Technologies Exports The Office of Environmental Technologies Exports (ETE) attended WEFTEC ‘99 in New Orleans, Louisiana, October 10-13, 1999. WEFTEC is the largest water and wastewater exhibition and conference in the United States, with over 800 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees. ETE supported a number of events at the show including a U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) booth, an industry roundtable, a seminar on Environmental Opportunities in Asia, and a meeting of the nationwide U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) Environmental Technologies Team. Over 200 U.S. companies visited the USDOC booth on the exhibition floor where information on export promotion programs and country-specific market research was available. Commerce Trade Specialists from ETE, the Trade Information Center, and the U.S. Commercial Service jointly staffed the booth, providing one-on-one business counseling on exporting to U.S. companies. ETE and the U.S.-Asia Environmental Partnership in organized a one-day seminar on Environmental Opportunities in Asia. Over 50 U.S. companies heard presentations from U.S. Government personnel stationed in Asia on opportunities and potential projects. U.S. companies also participated in one-on-one meetings with over 100 environmental clients/decision makers from Asia. The USDOC Environmental Technologies Team held its semi-annual meeting at WEFTEC. The ET Team, comprised of 37 Trade Specialists in the U.S. Commercial Service domestic field offices and nine Trade Specialists at ETE, established trade promotion priorities for the next year. The ET Team also agreed to integrate information products such as newsletters and internet websites to provide more focused and efficient information to U.S. environmental technologies companies. The next Environmental Technologies Team meeting will be in June 2000 at the American Water Works Association Exhibition in Denver. Federal Program Update EX-IM BANK SUPPORTS U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL EXPORTS By Craig O’Connor Director of Sales, Export-Import Bank of the United States The ability to offer financing or credit terms is often the most critical element in competing for, and winning, export sales. Increasingly, foreign buyers expect the U.S. supplier to offer "open account" or unsecured credit terms rather than pay by letters of credit, which may be expensive, or cash in advance. Using Ex-Im Bank to insure open account payment terms will often be the most attractive payment option for your foreign customers. Short-term interest rates are quite high in many foreign markets so the ability to offer your customers U.S. dollar credit in interest rates of single digits can mean a dramatic increase in your sales to these customers. Your customers are now in a position to pass on this attractive credit to their customers to increase sales. One of the best benefits of using Ex-Im Bank insurance for your foreign sales receivables is that you don’t have to wait for your customer to pay you: you can assign your Ex-Im Bank insured receivables to a U.S. commercial bank and get paid immediately. With Ex-Im Bank insuring the credit, banks typically charge interest rates ranging from 1.5%-2.5% over the London Interbank Offered Rate. The “LIBOR” is currently 5.75% so the financing that you can offer the customer is in the range of 7.25%-8.25%. Compare these rates to those in Mexico where interest rates range from 30-40%. Please note that your foreign competition has long made offering open account credit standard practice. It is important to note that Ex-Im Bank has no minimum transaction size. Pura, Inc. of Valencia, CA, has used Ex-Im Bank's Short-Term Environmental Export Insurance Policy to significantly expand their export sales. Pura, Inc. is a manufacturer of ultraviolet water purification equipment who now generates 70-80% of its business through export sales, with customers in Mexico, Argentina, Indonesia, Turkey, and Italy, just to name a few. According to Mr. Ellis Anderson, Executive Vice President, "Ex-Im Bank's Export Credit Insurance has enabled us to extend the credit terms that our customers needed, resulting in a 300% sales increase.” Ex-Im Bank's Medium-Term Export Credit Insurance is another valuable marketing tool for small business exporters. With this insurance the exporter is able to offer credit terms of up to 7 years repayment to their customer with the commercial and political risks of default covered 100% by Ex-Im Bank. The Medium-Term Insurance may be used by exporters to finance capital and quasi-capital goods as well as provide services such as environmental assessments. Senstar Capital Corp. of Pittsburgh, PA, used Ex-Im Bank's Medium-Term Insurance to finance the purchase of $400,000 worth of waste water treatment equipment for ECOPRENEUR SA, of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ex-Im Bank support was requested because U.S. banks are generally unable to provide medium-term financing to Argentina, while medium-term credits from Argentine banks are prohibitively expensive if available at all. This financing will enable ECOPRENEUR SA, an Argentine environmental engineering consulting company, to build a private waste water treatment facility in Buenos Aires Province. With Ex-Im Bank’s Insurance, Senstar provided 4-year financing with a fixed interest rate of 7.5%. The Exposure Fee for this transaction was 3.61% for a 4-year credit term (0.90% per year on a nominal basis) which was added to the financed portion. For ECOPRENEUR SA, the process was a "seamless" one in which they were required only to provide the necessary financial information for analysis by Ex-Im Bank, including 3-years audited financial statements, a credit report and bank reference. For more information, contact Craig O’Connor at 1-800-565-3946 x3939. U.S. TDA: Standing At a Crossroads – An Environmental Strategy for Central and Eastern Europe In 1981, when the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) first began operating, environmental projects in Central and Eastern Europe would have never been imagined, let alone funded. Environmental technologies were a fledgling idea of progressive research and design companies. Countries throughout Central and Eastern Europe operated as command rather than market economies. Much has changed since then. During that time period, an entire industry has emerged – an industry that in the U.S. quickly transformed from a domestic clean-up business to a global preventative force. Today, more than 117,000 U.S. companies produce environmental products and services. The U.S. industry is not only the largest, but it also packs the strongest punch with its capacity to solve and prevent environmental problems. The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) provides early assistance to U.S. exporters for industrial and infrastructure projects in developing and middle-income countries. Our grant assistance is provided on a market-demand basis – and right now, there is great demand for TDA services in Central and Eastern Europe. With the next round of EU accession rapidly approaching, many of the countries throughout the region have made remediation and prevention a top priority. However, in a recent survey by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Central and Eastern European customers indicated two significant barriers to buying foreign environmental technologies – too little information about suppliers and a lack of reliable information about products. This fall, the Trade and Development Agency took a major step in closing that marketing gap. In November, TDA hosted the U.S. Environmental and Process Technologies Conference in Budapest, Hungary, to highlight unprecedented opportunities for U.S. companies to capture a share of the industrial-related environmental projects in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Estonia, Slovenia and Cyprus. Project sponsors from each of these six countries presented 30 near-term opportunities in the sub-sectors in which U.S. businesses are the most competitive – industrial remediation, process control technology, energy efficiency and wastewater. Following are summaries of some of the projects presented at the conference: Poland Municipal Wastewater Secondary Treatment – Upgrade of an unfinished primary wastewater treatment plant and construction of a secondary treatment addition. Flow rate is to be 30,000 to 40,000 cubic meters/ day. A new design is required to make use of existing infrastructure. The estimated construction value of the project is $10 million, of which approximately half would be for new U.S. equipment. Hungary MOL Oil Refinery Water Management Project – TDA has funded a water management feasibility study to assist MOL in complying with new EU environmental standards. The study will focus on reduction of water discharges to the Danube River. Replacement of some on-line product process equipment and an expanded wastewater treatment plant are expected as a result of the study. U.S. exports for this project could reach $40 million. Czech Republic Ostramo Refinery – Potential $10 million contract to clean up three on-site lagoons containing oily wastes contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons and PCBs. The hazardous wastes have contaminated the groundwater to the extent that a plant has been constructed on site for pump and treat containment of the plume. Poland World Bank Krakow Energy Efficiency Pilot Project – A $30 million World Bank project that is directed toward implementation of demand-side energy efficiency measures in the Krakow region. This project features expansion of energy efficiency products and services by the local electric utility. TDA is currently participating in the bank project by providing technical assistance that will support U.S. solutions in both the upstream and downstream phases of this project. The project resource guide provided at the conference includes vital information, including project descriptions, economic data, implementation timelines, export potential, equipment lists, and key contacts. To obtain a copy, please contact the TDA Library at (703) 875-4357. For more information about TDA’s program in Europe, please contact Ned Cabot, Regional Director, at (703) 875-4357, or visit the TDA Website at www.tda.gov. Success Stories By David O’Connell Environmental Technologies Exports DriWater, Inc., Of Santa Rosa, CA, is the manufacturer of “DriWATER”, a non-toxic product of water suspended in a semi-solid gel that provides moisture consistently for months at a time. The company has already received orders of $4.8 million in sales from Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia with additional sales from the region pending estimated at $25 million. Countries in the region plan to use the product as a part of a comprehensive effort to re-vegetate deserts and conserve water that might otherwise be lost to leaching, run-off, and evaporation. One quart of DriWATER will effectively water a plant for three months. The company participated in a February, 1999 trade mission to the Middle East sponsored by the California Trade & Commerce Agency, which was supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Lemna International, Inc. Of Minneapolis, MN, a leading project development company in the environmental, energy, and infrastructure industries, recently signed a $ 240 million contract with the Turkish Government for the Gursogut Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant. Lemna International is leading a consortium of U.S. and Turkish companies to build the 242-MW plant, which is critically needed to meet Turkey’s growing energy needs. Lemna International will also arrange financing for the project. The consortium led by Lemna International includes HDR Engineering, Benham and Voest Alpine MCE from the U.S., and Turkish construction companies AGE and Ceylan. This contract is a result of several years of U.S. Government negotiations with the Government of Turkey that culminated in a bilateral energy agreement signed by Secretary of Commerce William Daley in February, 1998. Lemna’s Poldi Gerard, Vice President of Marketing, stated, “The Department of Commerce has helped us in many ways to conclude the contract for our hydropower project in Turkey. We have received help from the Advocacy Center in Washington and from John Breidenstine, the Commercial Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.” Hydropower technology and equipment is known to be the “cleanest” and most “environmentally friendly” means of energy production in the world. Clean Earth Technology Inc., based in N. Ferrisburg, VT, is a manufacturer of the Magnum Spill Buster pump and was awarded a contract in October, 1999 to provide the Chinese Petroleum Corporation (CPC) of Taiwan with 20 systems to remove free floating petroleum contamination from the ground water. A unique feature of this product is an “Auto Seeker” which includes a small-motorized reel assembly that automatically raises and lowers the pump to follow a fluctuating water table. Clean Earth received advocacy and support from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Environmental Technologies Exports (ETE), which met with CPC during two missions to Taiwan in March and September of 1999, and assisted in the demonstration of the product to Taiwanese officials. This effort was conducted under a joint initiative with the Vermont Chamber of Commerce Market Development Cooperator Program. The U.S. Commercial Service of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (CS-Rio), regularly assists the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) in identifying environmental and power-related projects with the potential to receive TDA grants for feasibility studies. For TDA's 1998 visit to Rio, CS-Rio arranged a meeting with Cedae, the Rio de Janeiro Water and Wastewater Company, to discuss a sludge treatment project in connection with the $793 million Guanabara Bay Clean-up Project. Of particular assistance to TDA was CS-Rio’s regular contacts with Cedae after a turnover in the latter's staff resulting from a change in the Government of Rio de Janeiro. In May 1998, TDA approved a grant in the amount of $300,000 for three U.S. consulting companies to perform feasibility studies for Cedae’s sludge treatment project. Tighe&Bond, EarthTech, and Black & Veatch will cost-share the study with TDA. On August 30, 1999, Cedae signed the final documents with the three U.S. companies involved. If your company has an overseas success story that they would like published, please contact David O’Connell at 202-482-3509. REGIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Asia Considering exporting to Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, or the Philippines ? Environmental Export Market Plans (EMP’s) are available for each of these countries, and the South Korea EMP will be ready early next year. These research reports provide current information on key environmental subsectors, project opportunities, key contacts, regulatory trends, and government programs. These plans are available on ETE’s Home Page (http://www.environment.ita.doc.gov), or by contacting George Litman at 202-482-0560. US-AEP’s New Export-Link Website. The United States-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP) announces Export-Link(TM) : Asia Market Analysis, a website information resource designed to help U.S. businesses interested in penetrating Asian markets. This website (www.usaep.org/export/index.htm) provides up-to-date Asian market information and business analysis to help your company with its exporting decisions. Also New on the US-AEP website: International Finance Resource Site. Following up on the April Project Finance workshop in Manila, Philippines, a new section has been added to the U.S.-Asia Environmental Partnership (US-AEP) website on international project financing. The section includes information on available avenues of finance for international projects and investments, and can be found on the US-AEP website at www.usaep.org/finance/index.html. Environmental Technologies Match-Maker Mission To India. September 10-21, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Offices of Environmental Technologies Exports and Export Promotion Services conducted an environmental mission to India, which visited New Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai. Seven American environmental technologies firms representing consulting, water treatment, air pollution, and solid and hazardous waste management participated. In addition to briefings by experts from the public and private sectors, in each city the companies engaged in one-on-one meetings with potential partners, distributors, and agents as prearranged by U.S. Government staff. Reviews of the mission have been excellent. For more information on India’s environmental marketplace, contact Marc Lemmond at (202) 482-3889. Europe “The 1998 Guide for American Exporters: Environmental Technologies, Europe” is an excellent research report for the entire European environmental marketplace. This free DOC publication provides two to three page analyses on the environmental technologies markets of 33 European countries, including several of the newly independent states. Best sales opportunities for environmental technologies by media, trade events, and contacts are covered by in-country officers of the Foreign Commercial Service. (Contact: Anne Novak at 202-482-8178). The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is developing a program to facilitate trade and investment in environmental technologies in Central and Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States (CEE/NIS). “EkoLinks; Eurasian-American Partnership for Environmentally Sustainable Economies” was implemented in March 1999 and is composed of grants, a trade lead system connecting businesses to environmental projects in CEE/NIS, and an information system on best environmental practices, laws, policies and regulations. For grants information contact Patty Lai at (202) 326-7798; trade leads program information, Bill Zucareno at (202) 835-0333; and information system, Casey Delhotal at (202) 739-0115. European Exporting Conference in January 2000. U.S. firms will have a unique opportunity to position themselves for European Projects financed by the EU at the Department of Commerce’s PEPPER conference on January 13th, 2000 in Washington, DC. PEPPER, or Project Export Positioning and Promotion in the European Region. PEPPER helps U.S. companies access EU economic development grants for projects in the EU. These grants will total $230 billion by the end of next summer. Projects under PEPPER have typically been from the energy, environment, healthcare, information technology, telecommunications, tourism, and transportation sectors. To become eligible for these grants, companies must be in a consortium with an EU company and present a sound venture that will contribute to local, national, and EU objectives like job creation, environmental protection, and technological enhancement. For more information about PEPPER, contact Jeffrey Donald, Vice President of BCIU, at 202-775-6074. Entsorga 2000, the largest biannual waste management and recycling show in Europe, will be held in Cologne, Germany on June 26th – 29th, 2000. The last Entsorga boasted 61,000 visitors from 83 countries and 1,340 exhibitors from 32 countries. More information about Entsorga 2000 is available at www.koelnmesse.de/entsorga/, or call Sabine Triplett at 212-974-8835. Opportunity for U.S. Firms in Hungary. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s has recently introduced the U.S.-Eastern Hungary Partnership (U.S.-EHP) program. U.S.-EHP fosters and expands partnerships between U.S. and Hungarian firms by promoting trade and investment in the eastern areas of Hungary. Hungary has become an efficient and economical entry-point for neighboring markets as well as Europe as a whole; Hungary is the United States’ most significant commercial trading partner in the region. If you would like more information on US-EHP, visit www.invest-ehu.com, or contact Sophia Lengyel, Managing Director of US-EHP at 36-1-475-4594. Latin America Secretary of Commerce William M. Daley will lead a senior-level business development mission to Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile on February 13-21, 2000. The delegation will include 12-15 U.S. company senior executives of firms representing the following key sectors: Information and Communications Technology, Environment, and Energy. The Secretary's mission to Latin America will advance specific business interests of the mission members by introducing them to key host government decision-making officials and to potential business partners. In addition, the Secretary will support the U.S. Government's efforts to reduce market access problems encountered by American firms in these markets. For additional information, contact Lucie Naphin or Jennifer Andberg, Office of Business Liaison, at 202-482-1360. The application deadline is December 27, 1999. Latin American Export Market Plans (EMPs) - An update of the Mexico, Argentina, and Chile EMP’s and new EMP’s for Venezuela and Colombia have recently been published and are available on the ETE Home Page at (http://www.environment.ita.doc.gov), or by calling 202-482-5225. Trade Mission to Argentina and Uruguay. The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, with support from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Environmental Technologies Exports, is organizing an environmental technologies trade mission to Argentina and Uruguay March 19-24, 2000. All New England environmental technology firms are eligible to participate in this mission. (Contact: Betsy Cabrera at 802-863-3489 x221). California Trade Mission to Argentina and Chile in April, 2000. The California Trade and Commerce Agency is organizing a trade mission of California-based environmental technologies firms to Argentina and Chile. Both countries will have newly elected governments by the end of 1999, so April is an opportune time for a trade mission. Argentina and Chile both have growing environmental marketplaces and, coupled with high rates of private investment in their respective environmental sectors, indicate a solid growth market for environmental products and services over the next several years. For more information, contact Eric Foster at 916-323-2874. OPIC Investment Facility. U.S. investment in the Caribbean and Central America has been hampered by the limited availability of medium to long-term capital, and the impact of Hurricane Mitch accelerated the need for long term investment to help rebuild the region. At the urging of Congress and the Clinton Administration, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has teamed with Citibank to create the Central America and Caribbean Investment Facility. This public-private partnership, focused on ways to encourage private sector investment in Caribbean and Central American nations, establishes a $200 million credit facility designed to bring investments and jobs to the region. Citibank will extend medium and long-term loans ranging from $500,000 to $40 million to small and medium-sized businesses in the region. For more information from OPIC check its website at www.opic.gov or call (202) 336-8799 to speak with an information officer. Middle East/Africa Secretary Daley Leads Middle East Trade Missions. From October 9-18, 1999, Secretary Daley led two trade missions to the Middle East that included visits to Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Increasing trade between the U.S. and the countries of the region in infrastructure and high-technology sectors was the goal of the mission. Overall, environmental technologies were well-represented in both missions and received a significant amount of positive attention as a high-technology sector and one that is closely tied to expansion of other key sectors in the region such as tourism, energy, construction, and health care. Secretary Daley also announced the Commerce Department will organize an environmental technologies trade mission to Israel and the Palestinian Authority in 2000. While plans for the mission are currently being finalized, the mission is likely to also include Egypt and Jordan. For information on this mission, contact Marc Lemmond in the Office of Environmental Technologies Exports at 202-482-3889. The U.S. Trade and Development Agency hosted a conference entitled “Africa and Middle East Regional Water Opportunities” in Long Beach, California, October 19-21. The conference included the presentation of water and wastewater treatment plants, desalination facilities, and other water-related infrastructure projects in twenty-five countries of this region. Fifty U.S. companies were represented at this three day conference. Representatives from Eximbank, OPIC, USAID, and the World Bank made presentations on finance and water-specific aspects of their programs. For a briefing book profiling these projects, call the TDA Library at 703-875-4357 or visit TDA’s website at www.tda.gov. For more information about the African and Middle Eastern environmental marketplace, contact Jane Siegel at 202-482-0617. Russia/NIS The US Agency for International Development’s Mission to Russia intends to issue a Request for Proposal (RFPs) in January 2000 to support environmental initiatives in the Russian Federation. The RFP is the second phase of the current Replication of Lessons Learned (ROLL) Project currently being implemented through a cooperative agreement with the Institute for Sustainable Communities. The four year ROLL project helps replicate and disseminate environmental activities that solve pollution problems, protect natural resources, and support sustainable growth. The estimated project budget is $ 12 million, subject to availability of funds. (Contact: Susan Simon at 202-482-0713). The Russian Federation’s Ministry of Fuel and Energy hosts Save Energy 2000 in Moscow , March 13 to 16, 2000. The trade fair offers U.S. companies an opportunity to establish business ties and form mutually beneficial trade alliances with Russian firms seeking partners. (Contact: Susan Simon at 202-482-0713) The Sakhalin Oblast Administration, the Regional Investment Initiative, and the United State Agency for International Development (USAID) recently hosted a presentation on three Sakhalin Infrastructure Development Projects, led by Sakhalin’s Vice-Governor Vladimir Shapalov. The Sakhalin Infrastructure Plan identifies more than forty infrastructure projects for the capital city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk in six sectors: water, sewer, heat, energy, transportation, and municipal enhancements. The presentation described commercial opportunities and the Sakhalin’s systematic approach to infrastructure development on the Island where more than $22 billion of oil and gas projects are underway. (Contact: Susan Simon at 202-482-0713) At a December, 1999 Joint U.S.-Russia Defense Environmental Conference in San Antonio on pollution prevention, approximately 25 military officers discussed project opportunities and expressed an interest in finding U.S. environmental partners for commercial opportunities to treat, handle, and prevent water, air, solid, and hazardous/nuclear wastes on Russia’s military bases. (Contact: Susan Simon at 202-482-0713) EBRD Projects: St. Petersburg Water and Environmental Procurement Opportunities. Vodokanal of St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, has obtained a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to co-finance a project to improve the water supply and wastewater treatment facilities in St. Petersburg. Tendering begins in late 1999 for the procurement of leakage detection equipment; efficiency enhancement equipment; frequency regulators for pumps; corporate management information system; rehabilitation of a waste water treatment plant; and construction of main sewer in the center of St. Petersburg. Total estimated cost $ 50 million. (Contact: Susan Simon at 202-482-0713). The Commercial Service Liaison to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (CS-EBRD) recently issued notices of EBRD activities for projects in Kazahkstan, Kyrgystan, Georgia, and Latvia that support energy efficiency, privatization programs, infrastructure development, and improved environmental performance in manufacturing, agribusiness, oil and gas, natural resource extraction, and power production. Contact Gene Harris, Senior Commercial Officer in London. Phone: 44-171-588-4027; Fax: 44-171-588-4026. The World Bank has earmarked $25 million toward an urgent environmental project in Azerbaijan. Its three priorities include a new sturgeon hatchery; a mercury clean-up program that will decontaminate an area heavily polluted by mercury at the Sumgayi chlor-alkaline production plant, an onshore oil clean-up which will test clean-up methods on a pilot basis and mitigate existing pollution in an onshore oil field; and an environmental management component. For more information contact Ms Elmire Ragimova or Mr. Seymour Khalimov, USDOC Commercial Assistants in Baku, Azerbaijan. Phone: 99412-98-03-35; Fax: 99412-98-61-17. Other News The millennium edition of the U.S. Industry & Trade Outlook 2000, an 850 page Commerce Department and McGraw-Hill Companies joint publication of 50 chapters that covers all major industry sectors, including environmental technologies, is due for early January printing. This is considered the most widely read and respected single source guide to U.S. industry. The report characterizes the environmental technologies industry’s modest growth of 2.7% from $181 billion in 1996 to $186 in 1997. However, U.S. exports in 1997 were $18.4 billion, creating a positive U.S. trade balance of $9.1 billion in this sector. The biggest export contributors occurred in water equipment & chemicals, resource recovery, and air pollution control equipment. In forecasting foreign market growth potential, Latin America, Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Eastern Europe show the best promise for environmental technologies as projected through year 2002. The current 1999 edition is available in hard copy or CD-ROM by calling 1-800-533-NTIS (6847), http://www.ntis.gov, or from publisher McGraw-Hill Companies, http://www.mcgraw-hill.com. WasteExpo 2000, sponsored by the Environmental Industries Association, is the largest gathering of waste management and recycling equipment and services companies and will be held in the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia May 15-18, 2000. WasteExpo’ s conference program will cover such topics as waste management, recycling equipment, and recycling services. Past participation in WasteExpo has been robust, attracting over 10,000 visitors and 550 exhibitors annually. For more information, visit the WasteExpo 2000 site at www.wasteexpo.org, or call 800-927-5007. AWWA 2000 will take place in Denver, CO, June 11-14, 2000 The American Water Works Association (AWWA) hosts the largest drinking water environmental technology exposition in the Unite States, which showcases water treatment technologies. Over 15,000 attendees visited AWWA ‘99 and 600 companies exhibited at the show. ETE will have a booth at the show to counsel U.S. firms on export markets and opportunities. ETE is also working with AWWA to develop the international program for the event which will include a water privatization seminar featuring speakers from all the major multilateral development banks to discuss bank-funded water projects around the world, and a seminar on doing business overseas along with an international reception. To learn more about the international activities at the show, please contact Ellen Zeytoun at 202-482-0359. Global Technology Network The Global Technology Network (GTN) assists the U.S. business community in gaining access to global environmental and energy markets by providing trade leads and market information from the developing world. The GTN currently has database access to U.S. environmental firms covering over 600 different sub-sectors within the environmental industry. Over the last year, the Global Technology Network (GTN) produced more than 296 environmental trade leads in Asia alone. One such trade lead resulted in a North Carolina environmental firm winning a contract in Asia valued at more than $450,000. Small- to medium-sized U.S. environmental firms are particularly encouraged to utilize this free trade leads system. |