Next week, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency will bring a delegation of South African municipal energy decision-makers to the United States to build industry partnerships and identify solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and move toward more sustainable, resilient energy systems.
USTDA’s reverse trade mission will take place from October 20 to 26 and include site visits to Charlotte and Raleigh, NC; and Denver, CO, where the 14-member delegation will meet U.S. companies and municipal counterparts to see demonstrations of cutting-edge U.S. technologies.
They’re also scheduled to view the latest innovative research on clean energy and grid technologies at the Electric Power Research Institute in Charlotte and at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Denver.
Leaving Charlotte, they’ll move to Colorado, where they will pay a visit to the Western Area Power Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Energy, to learn about its role in selling and transmitting wholesale electricity to Federal, state and local government entities, which then provide retail electric service to consumers.
USTDA will host a public business briefing in Raleigh on October 22 and a networking reception on October 24 in Denver where U.S. companies can learn about commercial opportunities related to South Africa’s municipal energy needs and meet one-on-one to present their business solutions.
Changes in South Africa’s energy policy are creating new business opportunities for U.S. companies. In 2020, its government enacted legislation, allowing South African municipalities to procure electricity directly from independent power producers instead of purchasing entirely from the country’s public utility.
At least ten cities and municipalities across South Africa are now exploring this option, which presents opportunities for U.S. companies to export innovative power generation technologies in support of South African municipalities’ energy needs.
USTDA’s reverse trade mission forms part of South Africa Agency for Clean Energy and Climate Infrastructure event series, aimed to promote cooperation on clean energy and climate projects between the public and private sectors in the United States and South Africa.
The series which was developed by USTDA is part of its commitment to support the Just Energy Transition Partnership in South Africa, announced in November 2021. Previous events in the series have featured green hydrogen and smart grid technologies.
The reverse trade mission also supports the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment to deliver game-changing projects to close the infrastructure gap in developing countries; USTDA’s Global Partnership for Climate-Smart Infrastructure that connects U.S. industry to major clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects in emerging economies; and the Power Africa initiative.
