AWWA, U.S. Commercial Service Lead Mission to Peru

June 2, 2017
Thirteen U.S. companies visit Peruvian cities to survey water infrastructure opportunities

The American Water Works Assn. (AWWA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s U.S. Commercial Service led a delegation of 13 water companies to Peru May 21 to 24. The companies visited various water-related public facilities and sites in Lima and Arequipa to survey infrastructure and management opportunities and to introduce new technology to strengthen Peru’s water treatment and distribution infrastructure.

President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who took office in July 2016, has pledged to eliminate all bureaucratic obstacles to $25 billion in delayed infrastructure investment, including 170 potable water and sewerage projects. He also has announced plans to install connections for water services for 100% of the population by 2023. Recent heavy rain, floods and landslides in Peru have made the issue that much more pressing.

“In addition to infrastructure, there is still a need for technology and planning for future growth, water use and conservation,” said Ricardo Pelaez, commercial counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Lima. He also said the government has announced new laws to promote public-private partnerships and make it even more attractive for U.S. companies to operate in Peru.

The delegation of water companies met with officials from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Sanitation, ProInversión, and the Directorate for Reconstruction and Changes, among others, to discuss public-private partnership opportunities in the water and sanitation sector. The delegation also met with local Peruvian companies to explore business collaborations for long-term infrastructure needs in the water sector. Of interest are projects in wastewater treatment in rural and urban areas, increasing potable water supplies to 100% of the Peruvian population, and addressing the damage wrought by the recent natural disasters.

The mission included U.S. Commercial Service-organized business-to-business meetings between the delegation and local Peruvian private sector contacts in Lima. More than 50 one-on-one meetings were arranged.

The mission will ended with a trip to Arequipa where the delegation met local businesspeople and public figures. A tour of Peruvian utility Sedapar was organized, as well as presentations by the U.S. companies to the local officials and private sector attendees. The Arequipa Chamber of Commerce is assisting the Commercial Service on this last stop.

“AWWA is proud to participate in this trade mission to help strengthen Peru’s water infrastructure, especially after the devastating floods the country has endured,” said AWWA CEO David LaFrance.

Source: American Water Works Assn.

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