28 September 1994

Dear GENI Friend,

Years of hard work to validate GENI's credentials have just been corroborated further by the Minister of Electricity and Energy of Egypt. Eng. M. Maher Abaza keynoted the opening session of CIGRE (International Conference on Large High Voltage Electric Systems) in Paris last month. Over 2000 engineers from around the world heard his energy plan for an Africa-Europe Electrical Interconnection and how this technology could be used in any region of the world.

I have enclosed the final page of his presentation Conclusions and Recommendations so you can get the flavor of his thinking. GENI's exhibit at CIGRE received elevated respect because of the Minister's speech, and the proposal to interconnect renewable resources around the world is now in the hands and minds of many energy planners globally. As well, both Presidents of CIGRE and IEEE said the GENI proposal was right on target — even if it's still politically and economically difficult on some continents.

Graeme Edwards (GENI Board member) and I carried that momentum into the Cairo event, UN Conference on Population and Development. With the Egyptian Minister's statement in hand, GENI received added attention (beyond the divisive rhetoric heard from most media). Interviews were taped/printed with the BBC, the Middle East Times, Nile TV (morning news program), CNN, and Canadian Globe and Mail. We had a chance to question US Vice-President Al Gore in front of a full stadium of people and cameras -- a chance one rarely gets in today's world.

We couldn't drive this proposal forward without your assistance. I'd like to ask for a bit extra this month — for you to write a brief letter to Vice President Gore at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20500 or e-mail to: vice-president@whitehouse.gov. Express your commitment to the GENI proposal and ask him for funding and research assistance (and include Minister Abaza's attachment). Of any politician, Al Gore understands the interconnectedness of energy, environment, population, development, trade and peace.

In Partnership for the Planet,

Peter Meisen
Executive Director

Keywords : Eng. M. Maher Abaza Address to Opening Session of CIGRE, U.N. Conference on Population and Development,sustainable development, global energy network institute, international electricity transmission, grid, power, environmental educational programs, peace, zero population growth, stabilization, life expectancy.