USTDA Awards Two Clean Energy Grants on Trade Mission to India
March 26, 2012
(USTDA)
NEW DELHI, INDIA – The U.S. Trade and
Development Agency (USTDA) today signed two
grants to support U.S. business developments in
India’s clean energy infrastructure
development. Henry Steingass, Regional Director
for USTDA, signed the agreements at a luncheon
hosted by U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson.
Secretary Bryson is in India leading 16 U.S.
companies on an infrastructure business
development mission to New Delhi, Jaipur and
Mumbai.
"India has ambitious energy infrastructure
development goals," stated Steingass. "We are
pleased to join this trade mission to support
those goals, and to help open the market for
U.S. clean energy technologies, which are among
the best in the world."
India's growing population and rapid economic
expansion are placing a strain on the country’s
energy infrastructure. Approximately 400
million people do not have grid connectivity,
while many households in electrified villages
do not have access to grid supply. Growing
demand is increasing the frequency of power
outages in urban areas as well. In response to
these challenges, Indian utility companies are
making heavy investments in clean energy
infrastructure, and these grants will support
those investments while opening the market up
for the cutting edge technologies of U.S. clean
energy businesses.
The first grant will support a feasibility
study for Azure Power, a private sector solar
power developer based in India. The feasibility
study will assess the development of a rural
micro-grid solar power project that will bring
electricity to remote villages in India. Azure
aims to set up over 100 micro-grid solar
systems, with each system covering an average
of 2-3 acres of rural land with little or no
connectivity to existing electrical grids. HS
Wadhwa, COO of Azure Power will sign this
grant, and Azure Power Manager for Business
Development Rajni Bhandari will witness.
The second grant will finance a feasibility
study for CESC Limited for the implementation
of smart grid technologies across their
electricity distribution networks in Kolkata,
India. The project is a top priority for CESC,
and will improve efficiency and energy
reliability for its 2.5 million customers. The
study will develop a smart grid pilot project
as well as the requirements for broad
implementation. CESC Executive Director Dilip
Kumar Sen will sign the grant on behalf of
CESC, and Vice President Aniruddha Basu will
witness.
These projects respond to the joint commitment
made by President Obama and Prime Minister
Singh in late 2009 to greatly expand energy
efficiency and clean energy cooperation and to
form a Partnership to Advance Clean Energy
(PACE). In addition to substantial improvements
to India’s clean energy infrastructure,
successful implementation of these two projects
could generate more than $250 million of
exports for U.S. companies.
The opportunity to conduct the Azure Power and
CESC feasibility studies will be competed on
the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO)
website. A link to the FBO announcements will
be posted on USTDA's website at www.ustda.gov.
Interested U.S. firms should submit proposals
according to the instructions in the FBO
announcement.
More information on Secretary Bryson's trade
mission to India can be found here.
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