USAID Announces Partnership with the General Electric Company to Improve Access to Renewable Energy in Rural Communities in India

On January 26, 2006 the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a public -private partnership with the General Electric Company (GE) to increase access to more modern and affordable energy services in rural communities in India.

USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade (EGAT), James T. Smith, and GE's Senior Manager for International Trade and Investment, Timothy J. Richards, announced the India Rural Electrification Program during January at a ceremony at USAID's Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The partnership will span a two-year period and provide up to four communities (approximately 15,000 people) in India with access to clean energy through GE power generation technologies that utilize agricultural waste (such as banana leaves), wind, and solar resources.

Tim Richards is a CCA board member.  GE, a CCA member, is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technology.