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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                    CONTACT:  Donna Thiessen 

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USTDA SUPPORTS URUGUAY-BRAZIL ELECTRICAL INTERCONNECTION

 

Mr. Jorge Lepra (left), Uruguay’s Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines, and Mr. James Nealon (right), Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo, signed an agreement to officially confer the USTDA grant that will support technical assistance related to the expansion of the electrical power grid interconnection between Uruguay and Brazil.

Mr. Jorge Lepra (left), Uruguay’s Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines, and Mr. James Nealon (right), Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo, signed an agreement to officially confer the USTDA grant that will support technical assistance related to the expansion of the electrical power grid interconnection between Uruguay and Brazil.

MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY – (September 9, 2005) Expanding the electrical power grid interconnection between Uruguay and Brazil is the goal of a U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) grant that was awarded today to Uruguay’s National Directorate of Energy and Nuclear Technology.  The $441,350 grant will be used to provide technical assistance related to the establishment of an approximately 400 kilometer-long transmission line that would interconnect the respective electrical systems.   

 

Mr. James Nealon, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Montevideo, signed an agreement to officially confer the grant on behalf of the U.S. government during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines of Uruguay.  Mr. Jorge Lepra, Uruguay’s Minister of Industry, Energy and Mines, signed the agreement for the grant recipient.  Mr. Gerardo Triunfo, National Director of Energy and Nuclear Technology, also took part in the ceremony.

 

The proposed new transmission line, which would have an installed capacity of about 500 megawatts (MW), follows the construction of a 70MW transmission line that was installed in 2001.  There are several anticipated advantages of expanding the existing grid interconnection, including allowing less expensive sources of electric power to be more fully utilized by a broader base of users and increasing the overall reliability of the two systems.  The proposed transmission line is a priority for the governments of Uruguay and Brazil, which have created a working group for the project.  A key output of the USTDA-funded technical assistance will be recommendations regarding the operational, commercial, regulatory structure of the project.

 

The opportunity to provide the technical assistance will be competed on the Federal Business Opportunities website (www.fedbizopps.gov).  Interested U.S. firms should submit proposals according to the instructions contained in the Federal Business Opportunities announcement.  Uruguay’s National Directorate of Energy will select the U.S. contractor that will provide the technical assistance.

 

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, feasibility studies, 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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