The US Trade and Development Agency will be leading a delegation of 16 energy sector decision-makers from Morocco, Egypt and Jordan to the United States starting Saturday through Sept. 30, according to a press release from USTDA.
The visit is meant to demonstrate US liquefied natural gas technologies and promote the development of priority gas infrastructure throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
The delegation will begin its trip in Washington, DC, where the White House's National Energy Dominance Council will host a "US Government Engagement Day" where delegates will meet with senior officials at relevant federal agencies.
From there, the delegation will visit Houston, Texas, to meet with US LNG infrastructure firms and view demonstrations of US gas technologies.
USTDA will sponsor a public business briefing in Houston on September 24 where U.S. companies will have an opportunity to hear first-hand from the delegation about their country's plans for future LNG infrastructure projects.
Morocco, Egypt and Jordan are each significantly increasing their investments in the gas sector, including in LNG imports, pipeline and storage capacity and in new natural gas applications, the press release said.
These investments are creating opportunities for US companies to supply LNG and natural gas products, services and technologies to the three countries, the agency added.
In the case of Morocco, this visit comes as the kingdom seeks to diversify its sources of gas supply and reinforce its energy security in the face of an increasing demand for LNG to feed power plants and industrial activities.
Morocco produces virtually no natural gas of its own and imports almost all of the natural gas used to meet domestic demand. The country has sought to diversify its supplies through new infrastructure projects and by building new relationships with foreign gas suppliers over the past several years.
USTDA is the US government agency that funds early stage technical work leading to infrastructure projects in emerging markets.
The agency helps American businesses find opportunities overseas and promotes US economic and strategic interests abroad.
This is not the first such delegation the agency has organized for the region.
A 15-strong Egyptian, Jordanian and Moroccan delegation visited the US in April, where they went to Louisiana and Texas as part of the same overall effort to boost US LNG shipments to the Middle East and North Africa, the USTDA said in a separate press release.
