[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 3, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9576-9578]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-4349]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
Civil Nuclear Policy Mission to Central and Eastern Europe
AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mission Description
The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade
Administration is organizing a Civil Nuclear Policy Mission to Warsaw,
Poland; Prague, Czech Republic and Bratislava, Slovakia from April 18-
23, 2010. Led by a senior Department of Commerce official, the mission
will focus on: (1) Infrastructure and tender development, to include
the safe, secure and proliferation-resistant trade in goods and
services; (2) promotion of the Convention on Supplementary Compensation
for Nuclear Damages (CSC) nuclear liability regime; (3) bilateral
cooperation on civil nuclear commercial opportunities, and (4) ensuring
opportunities for U.S. firms. The mission will demonstrate significant
U.S. support for its civil nuclear industry and the wide range of
[[Page 9577]]
technical and commercial capabilities it possesses. The mission will
promote U.S. companies from across the civil nuclear supply chain,
including engineering services; fuel providers and processing services;
reactor designers and builders; program managers; universities and
other nuclear training institutions; and, small modular reactor
technologies.
Commercial Setting
The Central and Eastern European market offers significant
commercial opportunities for the U.S. civil nuclear industry.
Increasing energy demands, dependence on Russian fossil fuels, and a
small but aging fleet of Russian reactor technologies is colliding with
pressure from the EU to meet stricter carbon emissions standards.
Competitors of the U.S. civil nuclear sector are predominantly
government owned entities and receive major support from their
respective governments. Developments in each of the policy mission
countries signal an historic opportunity to provide U.S. industry the
kinds of government support most foreign companies receive. While there
are opportunities in many of the countries in the region, Poland, the
Czech Republic, and Slovakia offer near term viable commercial
opportunities now.
Poland is rapidly moving towards significant developments of its
civil nuclear infrastructure and there is momentum within the
government to achieve its aggressive goal of having a nuclear reactor
online by 2020. In terms of infrastructure development, the Polish
government has released an official public declaration of its
intentions to develop and support an indigenous civil nuclear
industry--the first of many milestones laid out by the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Poland has expressed great interest in
diversifying its energy portfolio, which is now overwhelmingly
dominated by coal-based electricity production.
The Czech Republic has significant past experience with nuclear
energy but is looking to make decisions about a new reactor build at
its Temelin site--at the end of the recent preliminary qualification
round the U.S. was identified as one of the competing technologies for
the nuclear tender to be released later this year.
While Slovakia is still a year or more away from releasing a
nuclear tender, language included in the Czech Republic's nuclear
tender allows for the awarded company to have the opportunity to build
reactors wherever CEZ, the managing utility group, has possible sites.
This includes one new reactor in Slovakia.
Mission Goals
The objective of this policy mission is to leverage U.S. support
for its civil nuclear sector, demonstrate technical capabilities in
support of the development of upcoming nuclear tenders, and introduce
U.S. companies to key government officials and utility executives. The
mission will also seek to inform secondary U.S. suppliers--those not
directly bidding on the design aspect of nuclear tenders--about the
market opportunities available to them.
In addition, mission goals include:
Encouraging the nuclear industry in participating
countries to seek opportunities for new construction;
Promoting fair, open, and transparent contract bidding
processes;
Advancing the principle that contracts should be awarded
based on commercial and technical merits; and,
Promoting ratification of the Convention on Supplementary
Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC) as the global nuclear liability
regime--the only international instrument that provides the basis for
establishing a global regime, including countries with and without
nuclear power facilities. Without such a regime, in the unlikely event
of a nuclear incident, claims for damage would be the subject of
protracted and complicated litigation in the courts of many countries
against multiple potential defendants with no guarantee of recovery.
The U.S. ratified CSC in 2008.
This mission advances the goals of the Department's Civil Nuclear
Trade Initiative, which is aimed at supporting the U.S. nuclear
industry's endeavors to rebuild its manufacturing base by capturing
opportunities abroad. We believe this will result in important economic
gains for the United States in terms of new jobs, technological
innovations, specialized manufacturing capabilities, and large-scale
trade and investment opportunities.
Mission Scenario
Participants will visit capitals in each of the three countries--
Warsaw, Prague, and Bratislava.
During the trade mission participants will: (1) Be briefed on the
status of the civil nuclear infrastructure in each country; (2) be
introduced to government officials and decision makers; and (3) be
taken on a site visit to the Temelin reactor.
Proposed Mission Timetable
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date Day Activity
------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 18..................... Sunday--Warsaw.. Arrive in
Warsaw, Poland.
Reception
dinner.
April 19..................... Monday--Warsaw.. Meetings with
Government of Poland
officials and decision
makers from the Polish
utility PGE.
Commercial
briefings from Embassy
staff and Commerce
experts.
April 20..................... Tuesday--Warsaw/ Additional
Prague. meetings with Polish
officials and
potential private
sector partners.
Travel to
Prague.
Meetings with
Government of Czech
Republic officials and
decision makers from
CEZ.
Reception
dinner in Prague.
April 21..................... Wednesday--Pragu Meetings with
e. Government of Czech
Republic officials and
decision makers from
CEZ.
April 22..................... Thursday--Bratis Travel to
lava. Temelin for a site
visit.
Travel to
Bratislava.
Commercial
briefings from Embassy
staff and Commerce
experts.
Reception
dinner in Bratislava.
April 23..................... Friday--Bratisla Government and
va. utility meetings.
[[Page 9578]]
Depart for
Vienna and DC.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: The final schedule and potential site visits will depend on the
availability of local government and business officials, specific
goals of mission participants, and air travel schedules.
Participation Requirements
All persons interested in participating in the Civil Nuclear Policy
Mission must complete and submit an application for consideration by
the Department of Commerce. All applicants will be evaluated on their
ability to meet certain conditions and best satisfy the selection
criteria as outlined below. Approximately 8 to 12 companies will be
selected to participate in the mission from the applicant pool. U.S.
companies already doing business in the region as well as U.S.
companies seeking to enter the region for the first time are encouraged
to apply.
Fees and Expenses
After a company or trade organization has been selected to
participate in the mission, a payment to the Department of Commerce in
the form of a participation fee is required. The participation fee,
which will cover one representative, will be $4,500.00 for large firms
and $3,000.00 for a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) \1\ or non-
government organization.\2\ The fee for each additional firm
representative is $600. Expenses for travel, lodging, most meals, and
incidentals will be the responsibility of each mission participant.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ An SME is defined as a firm with 500 or fewer employees or
that otherwise qualifies as a small business under SBA regulations
(see http://www.sba.gov/services/contracting opportunities/
sizestandardstopics/index.html).
\2\ Parent companies, affiliates, and subsidiaries will be
considered when determining business size. The dual pricing reflects
the Commercial Service's user fee schedule that became effective May
1, 2008 (see http://www.export.gov/newsletter/march2008/initiatives.html for additional information).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conditions for Participation
An applicant must submit a completed and signed mission
application and supplemental application materials, including adequate
information on the company's products and/or services, primary market
objectives, and goals for participation. If the U.S. Department of
Commerce receives an incomplete application, the Department may reject
the application, request additional information, or take the lack of
information into account when evaluating.
Certify that the products and services the export of which
it seeks to promote through the mission are either produced in the
United States, or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and
have at least fifty-one percent U.S. content. Because of the unique
nature of the energy sector targeted by this mission, in cases where
the U.S. content does not exceed fifty percent, especially where the
applicant intends to pursue investment and major project opportunities,
the following factors, often associated with U.S. ownership, may be
considered in determining whether the applicant's participation in the
trade mission is in the U.S. national interest:
--U.S. materials and equipment content;
--U.S. labor content;
--Repatriation of profits to the U.S. economy; and/or
--Potential for follow-on business that would benefit the U.S. economy;
No applicant may represent a company that is majority
owned or controlled by a foreign government entity or entities.
Selection Criteria for Participation
Selection will be based on the following criteria:
Suitability of the company's products or services;
Applicant's potential for business in Poland, Czech
Republic and Slovakia, including likelihood of exports resulting from
the mission; and
Consistency of the applicant's goals and objectives with
the stated scope of the mission.
Referrals from political organizations and any documents containing
references to partisan political activities (including political
contributions) will be removed from an applicant's submission and not
considered during the selection process.
Timeframe for Recruitment and Applications
Mission recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner,
including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the Commerce
Department trade mission calendar (http://www.ita.doc.gov/doctm/tmcal.html) and other Internet Web sites, press releases to general and
trade media, direct mail, notices by industry trade associations and
other multiplier groups, and publicity at industry meetings, symposia,
conferences, and trade shows.
Recruitment for the mission will begin immediately and conclude no
later than Monday, March 15, 2010. The U.S. Department of Commerce will
review all applications after the deadline. We will inform applicants
of selection decisions after March 15, 2010. Applications received
after the deadline will be considered only if space and scheduling
constraints permit.
Contacts
David Kincaid, Manufacturing and Services, Office of Energy and
Environmental Industries, Tel: 202-482-1706, Fax: 202-482-5665, E-mail:
[email protected] ;
Reginald Miller, Regional Director for Central/Eastern Europe and
Russia, Tel: 202-482-5402, Fax: 202-482-2456, E-mail:
[email protected].
Sean Timmins,
Global Trade Programs, Commercial Service Trade Missions Program.
[FR Doc. 2010-4349 Filed 3-2-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-FP-P