USTDA Regional Brief - South and Southeast Asia

USTDA 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, reverse trade missions 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 supports sound investment policy and decision-making in host countries and creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and economic development. In carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis to economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services.

The following is an illustrative list of recent projects that USTDA has supported in South and Southeast Asia:

Regional

ASEAN Clean Energy Trade, Technology, and Investment Forum – The Forum brought delegates from the region to Manila, Philippines to meet with U.S. companies and U.S. government experts to discuss solutions such as hydropower, biomass, and coal bed methane, as well as project financing options, project management, best practices, and effective regulatory policies. The visit allowed the ASEAN members, five of whom are also APEC member economies, to exchange information and regulatory experiences. It also introduced U.S. businesses to clean energy opportunities in this growing region as it seeks to diversify energy resources and reduce carbon emissions.

Asia-Pacific Commercial Aviation Access – In 2010, USTDA sponsored the Asia-Pacific Commercial Aviation Access symposium that brought thirty-five Asia-Pacific delegates to San Francisco to discuss the technical and regulatory requirements of operating in U.S. airspace. This introduced delegates to FAA requirements, as well as U.S. companies who can help accomplish APEC member aviation goals.

GNSS Testbed Demonstration Project – USTDA provided $675,000 to support the development of a global positioning system (GPS) demonstration testbed project in Southeast Asia. The project is facilitating the research, development, acquisition, and implementation efforts of an air navigation system based on GPS and Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) technologies, and supports a uniform implementation of GPS throughout the APEC region.

Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System – Working with the respective national emergency management authorities in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, USTDA sponsored technology modernization and integration studies on the detection, warning processing and notification systems related to seismic, tsunami and weather events.

India

U.S.-India Energy Cooperation Program (ECP) – The U.S.-India ECP is a public-private partnership that aims to leverage private sector business resources in both the U.S. and India to promote commercial project development in clean energy and energy efficiency, and support the sustainable development of the energy sectors in both countries. The ECP is a private-sector initiated, managed and financed partnership, and was formally launched in New Delhi in November 2010 by founding U.S. member companies and the Governments of the United States and India. Under the ECP, the U.S.-India Efficiency and Clean Energy Exchange Program (ECEEP) is an initial launch activity that will introduce 40 Indian energy sector officials and project sponsors to U.S. clean energy technologies through a series of four reverse trade missions (RTMs) to the United States. The clean energy focus areas include: grid scale solar power (June 2011); smart grid expansion (September 2011); unconventional gas development (fall 2011); and commercial energy efficiency/green buildings (late 2011/early 2012).

U.S.-India Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP) – The U.S.-India ACP is a unique bilateral public-private partnership launched in 2007 that targets mutual interests in collaboration on the modernization requirements of India's rapid aviation sector growth. USTDA, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. aviation companies, and the Government of India aviation sector jointly support the ACP as a mechanism through which Indian aviation sector officials can work with U.S. government and aviation industry experts to identify specific areas for technical collaboration. The ACP's specific objectives are to: (i) promote increased safety, operational efficiency and system capacity in the Indian aviation sector; (ii) facilitate and coordinate aviation industry training and technical ties between the U.S. and India; and (iii) strengthen overall U.S.-India aviation cooperation. USTDA shares the cost of technical cooperation programs and U.S. aviation companies, the FAA and the Indian aviation sector provide in-kind support.

Integrated Emergency Communications System Feasibility Study – USTDA provided a $645,944 grant to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to partially fund a feasibility study to establish an Integrated Emergency Communications System (IECS) and supporting infrastructure in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. The MHA requested USTDA funding for a feasibility study to assess the current IECS communications architecture; analyze the operational, financial, and organizational aspects that would lead to a national IECS; and address the implications of project implementation focused on an initial pilot project in Hyderabad. MHA selected Optimal Solutions and Technologies, Inc. (OST) to perform the FS in partnership with Winbourne and Costas, and OST is contributing a 25 percent total study cost share.

Indonesia

Jailolo Geothermal Power Plant Project – USTDA feasibility grant funding, in the amount of $732,722, will help confirm the viability of a 370MW private sector geothermal power plant to generate electricity for the island of Halmahera. USTDA's grant will leverage substantial funding contribution by Star Halmahera, a private-sector Grantee that successfully developed the Wyang Windu geothermal project. USTDA will help advance professional feasibility and transparent planning efforts of the Jailolo project, and help to ensure that there is a level playing field for U.S. companies in Indonesia's evolving geothermal power market. USTDA funding will also enable AECOM USA, sole-source Contractor, to be engaged in the project, its first introduction to emerging market geothermal projects; reinforce the importance of private sector involvement in sector development; and, encourage project implementation best practices. The Jailolo project will cost $112 million to build and require $80-85 million in imported content.

Geothermal Power Deployment Training Program – Working with BAPPENAS, the Indonesian National Planning and Development Agency, Ministry of Mines and Energy Resources as well as Indonesian and U.S. industry stakeholders, USTDA delivered a geothermal power development training program and follow-on orientation visit for Indonesian energy officials. The training was held in Jakarta, as well as five provincial areas (Aceh, West Sumatra, North Sumatra, East Java, and Sulawesi) where geothermal development is most promising. The training is intended to encourage transparent and comprehensive tendering of geothermal resource development opportunities by provincial government authorities and would include topics specific to geothermal power technologies and applications, tendering, project development and financing practices.

Geothermal Power Deployment Reverse Trade Mission – USTDA, working with BAPPENAS, Ministry of Mines and Energy Resources as well as Indonesian and U.S. industry stakeholders, delivered a geothermal power development training program and follow-on orientation visit for Indonesian energy officials. The in-country training will be followed by a five to ten day Reverse Trade Mission to Washington D.C. and a geothermal resource location and include the participation of up to 12 senior Indonesian decision makers.

Pakistan

Karachi Integrated Smart Grid System – USTDA provided $510,475 to Karachi Electric Supply Company Limited to determine the viability of an integrated Smart Grid system in Karachi to reduce electricity losses and improve the efficiency of utility operations. The study is also defining the scope for investments in a large Smart Grid pilot project. This USTDA-funded Study will help to improve the energy infrastructure that constrains economic performance, by introducing Smart Grid technology, and supporting market-oriented reforms to relieve the problem of "free riders".

Trade Information Gateway Real-Time Exchange (TIGRE) Project – USTDA provided a $933,273 grant to Mega & Forbes Group for a feasibility study and pilot project that assesses the viability and application of a Trade Information Gateway Real-Time Exchange (TIGRE) software solution for cargo movement operations in and around the main ports in Karachi, Pakistan. The study is identifying the technical requirements for a software system that will track the movement of cargo between ships, port operators, truckers, rail systems, and customers. The TIGRE system will help support Megatransport's efforts to promote efficient and secure trade by allowing cargo and transportation logistical movements to be tracked via a web-based platform.

Philippines

First Gen Cabadbaran Run-of-River Hydroelectric Project – USTDA provided $360,000 for a feasibility study to develop a 14-20 MW hydroelectric power project on the island of Mindanao. The grantee, First Gen Mindanao Hydro Power Corporation, seeks to increase electricity and improve system reliability for 20,000-28,000 households in northern Mindanao. RB Engineers has been selected to conduct the feasibility study.

Manila Bay Environmental Improvement Reverse Trade Mission – USTDA hosted decision makers responsible for the Manila Bay Environmental Improvement Project to the United States to learn about U.S. technologies and best practices that can assist in restoring the water quality of Manila Bay in the Philippines. This reverse trade mission visited U.S. cities with similar watershed management concerns and arranged discussion of U.S. experiences, technologies, and best practices with regard to restoring water quality, wastewater treatment, and environmental management. This program was in support of the World Bank's Manila Wastewater Management Project (MWMP).

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Oil and Gas Regulatory – USTDA awarded a $474,000 grant to the Ministry of Finance and Planning, which is assisting the Ministry of Petroleum and Petroleum Resources Development in developing oil and gas regulations for Sri Lanka's nascent oil and gas industry. The grant will promote a transition from a consumer-driven to a production-oriented oil and gas regulatory structure, based on the Sri Lankan government's plans to open up promising offshore oil and gas blocks for exploration and development. The USTDA-funded assistance will also help to establish the organizational structure of the regulatory authority.

Thailand

Refurbished Medical Device Standards Reverse Trade Mission – This Reverse Trade Mission introduced Thai healthcare officials and regulators to U.S. standards and technology options related to refurbished medical equipment. The delegates met with U.S. public and private sector officials who specialize in safety and quality control for medical equipment pertaining to heart surgery, orthopedic procedures, diagnostic testing and other specialized fields.

Smart Corridor to Suvarnabhumi Airport – The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) received a $537,000 technical assistance grant to improve transportation access to the new Suvarnabhumi Airport. The project will enhance mobility, safety and efficiency in an environment of growing traffic by utilizing intelligent transportation systems that contribute to the improvement of public transportation. Wilbur Smith Associates was competitively selected to deliver the services under the grant.

Vietnam

Cloud Computing Data Center – USTDA provided $402,675 to the Vi Na Group Corporation (VNG), an internet company that is third in frequency of internet traffic use in Vietnam, for a feasibility study of a cloud computing data center that would be constructed in Ho Chi Minh City to provide information technology storage, processing, security, and scalable services to public and private sector customers. The study would help start the first cloud computing business in Vietnam and would allow VNG to offer remote, secure software and data storage services to customers seeking more cost-effective alternatives to manage and control their own information technology infrastructure.

Aviation Safety Oversight (Phases I-III) – USTDA provided $1,091,785 to support a multi-year aviation safety effort for the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV). Launched in 2006 together with Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the program aims to help Vietnam meet international aviation safety standards, to enable CAAV to obtain Category I (CAT I) status under the FAA International Aviation Safety Assessment Program (IASA). Achieving this ranking would permit direct access by Vietnam airline companies to the United States and promote greater U.S.-Vietnam air services trade and investments.

National Power Transmission Best Practices Reverse Trade Mission – USTDA sponsored a ten-day reverse trade mission for officials from Vietnam's National Power Transmission Corporation to meet with U.S. power transmission and distribution service and technology providers. The objectives of the visit included: learning about U.S. technology options and regulatory best practices for power transmission and distribution; meeting U.S. companies providing transmission equipment that had a specific focus on smart grid technologies; and encouraging U.S. company engagement in the expansion of Vietnam's transmission network.