AMMAN - (September 9, 2003) Earlier today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and the Ministry of Planning of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan entered into a $179,124 grant agreement to partially fund a feasibility study on the acquisition and expansion of two existing wind power facilities in northern Jordan. The Honorable Edward W. Gnehm, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to Jordan, signed the agreement on behalf of the U.S. Government. His Excellency Bassem I. Awadallah, Minister of Planning, signed on behalf of the Jordanian Government. Representatives from the Jordanian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) and the Central Electricity Generating Company (CEGCo), a publicly owned Jordanian company that owns and operates the Al-Ibrahyymia and Hofa wind power plants in Jordan, witnessed the signing.

With limited domestic fuel resources, the Jordanian government strongly encourages renewable power generation and has committed to produce five percent of its electric power from renewable sources by 2010. In support of the country's renewable energy initiative, MEMR and CEGCo have endorsed a proposal by Delenova Energy of Fairfax, Virginia, to assess the feasibility of Delenova Energy acquiring the existing Al-Ibrahyymia and Hofa plants and expanding those facilities with equipment from GE Wind Energy. Based on reported data from existing wind farms, the Al-Ibrahyymia and Hofa plants could increase efficiency by 30 percent if General Electric 1.5 megawatt wind turbines are installed. In addition to the USTDA grant awarded today, Delenova Energy will contribute additional resources toward the completion of the study.

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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