Ambassador Zuckerman: Exim US intends to support strategic investments in Romania, secure USD 7bln lines of credit

Bucharest, Dec 4 /Agerpres/ - The Ambassador of the United States of America (USA) to Romania, Adrian Zuckerman, announced on Thursday, during a visit to Portile de Fier [ed.n.- Iron Gate Hydroelectric Power Station], the intention of Exim Bank US to support strategic investments in Romania and to ensure lines of credit of about 7 billion US dollars. The intention of Exim US is to support strategic investments in Romania and to provide lines of credit of approximately 7 billion US dollars. Kimberley Reed, president of Exim Bank, will arrive on Monday to discuss the agreement between the Romanian Government and Exim Bank for the financing of energy and infrastructure projects, and will pay a visit to the Cernavoda nuclear power plant, said the Ambassador of the United States of America to Romania, Adrian Zuckerman. On December 3, the US Ambassador has been on a working visit to Portile de Fier, together with the Minister of Economy, Energy and Business Environment, Virgil Popescu. The official delegation was welcomed and accompanied by Bogdan Badea, chairman of the Hidroelectrica Board of Directors, together with other company representatives. On this occasion, the members of the delegation visited the site and were presented with current data on the production, performance and investment intentions of Hidroelectrica, as well as the history of the Iron Gate design. In the same context, the Minister of Economy, Virgil Popescu, maintained that Hidroelectrica is the pearl of the Romanian energy crown, "a green company". In his turn, the president of the Hidroelectrica Directorate, Bogdan Badea, welcomed the American interest for the development and support of Romania's energy projects, for the mutual benefit. "Hidoelectrica expresses its desire to collaborate with companies in the United States on large-scale projects, as partners. We have ambitious plans in a field that is not only profitable, but also in a continuous development, the direction being that of renewable energy," said Bogdan Badea. The visit of the US Ambassador comes as a result of the signing, on October 9 a.c., in Washington D.C., of an extended intergovernmental agreement, which allows the cooperation between Romania and the United States of America in developing projects of strategic importance in the field of energy. Hidroelectrica is a leader in electricity production and the main provider of technological services required in the National Energy System and is a vital company for a strategic sector, with implications for national security. Hidroelectrica has in operation a number of 209 hydroelectric power plants with an installed capacity totaling 6,482 MW.AGERPRES(RO - author: Mariana Nica, editor: Andreea Marinescu; EN - author: Simona Iacob, editor: Maria Voican)