February 1999

Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA), and Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) --As part of the Administration's Caspian Initiative, OPIC, TDA, and Ex-Im Bank are establishing the Caspian Finance Center at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey. With strong support from the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce, the center will play a leading role in the development of Caspian Basin energy and in increasing U.S. trade and investment in the NIS nations of the Caucasus and Central Asia. The office is scheduled to be fully operational in early March. Look for additional information, including how to contact the center, in the next issue of the BISNIS Bulletin or visit the agencies' web sites: www.opic.gov, www.tda.gov, and www.exim.gov.

U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) --TDA, in cooperation with Departments of Commerce and Energy, is organizing a World Power Conference to take place on May 3-6, 1999, in New York. This conference will showcase power generation projects from around the world for which TDA has funded feasibility studies, as well as newly identified opportunities. The event will bring together over 50 project sponsors with a broad range of U.S. energy sector developers and suppliers. The conference will feature presentations by project sponsors and one-on-one meetings with U.S. companies. For more information, contact Sarah Melendez of Technical Resources International, Inc. at tel.: (301) 231-5250 or e-mail: smelendez@tech-res.com. More information is also available on TDA's web site: www.tda.gov.

This report is provided courtesy of the Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS)