The Nepal Electricity Authority has entered into a partnership valued roughly at an annual $100,000 with two utilities from the United States, Tacoma Power and Wisconsin Electric. The overall focus of the partnership is to find ways to improve NEA's efficiency by reducing distribution losses, improving management and co-operation with Independent Power Producers and tariff restructuring. The USAID-supported partnership could later also result in technology transfer, and even possible investment in hydropower generation-something hinted at by the US president early this year during his visit to India and Bangladesh.