Vestas has decided to build two new technology centres – one in Aarhus, one in Asia – as part of the company’s R&D activities. Vestas now concentrates its Danish R&D activities in Aarhus. The new 12,500m² high-end technology centre will be built on a 25,000m² site that the group already owns in Skejby on the northern outskirts of Aarhus. In time, the centre will create up to 500 high technology jobs. Vestas also has plans for a similar technology centre in Asia – the exact location has yet to be decided. Vestas expects to start the Aarhus construction later this year.

Vestas Central Europe A/S has established an office in Austria in order to provide the best possible support for customers and other stakeholders in this region. The sales and service office is in Moosbierbaum, a town close to Vienna and located centrally in Austria and therefore easy to access from all parts of the country. The office will consist of both service technicians and sales staff.

Gamesa has reached an agreement with the owners of Fundición Nodular del Norte, S.A. to execute the purchase option on 100% of the stock of this Burgos-based company. Gamesa acquires 100% of the shares that make up the stock capital of Fundición Nodular del Norte, S.A. for a sum of €3 million. Fundición Nodular del Norte, located in Villalonquejar (Burgos), has a workforce of 35 employees and its corporate mission is the exploitation and manufacture of cast metal pieces and their marketing. Its turnover last year amounted to €7.3 million. Gamesa has undertaken this operation within the framework of its process of vertical integration, whereby it aims to manufacture those components that are an essential part of a wind turbine.

The A2SEA Group has announced the acquisition of their third vessel M/V Installer. The vessel was delivered in Singapore on 8^th June to their associate company A2SEA Ltd, based in Derby UK and will after conversion enter the market during 2006. This acquisition follows a search for a vessel with the right strength and characteristics for the conversion to crane vessel for installation of offshore windfarms following a similar concept as for its sister vessels M/V Sea Power and M/V Sea Energy. The financial basis for this investment is additional share capital paid in by two of the existing shareholders; Loenmodtagernes Dyrtidsfond and Dansk Kapitalanlaeg and from Clipper Elite Carriers who have joined as a new and equal main shareholder in the company.

Global Marine Systems Limited, a cable installation and maintenance company for the telecommunications and renewable energy sectors, and SMIT Heavy Lift Europe BV, a division of SMIT International, have announced their intention to cooperate to meet the needs of the growing renewable energy market. Global Marine is an installer of inter-turbine and shore connection cabling for offshore wind farms, while SMIT has more than 160 years’ experience of marine construction. The combination of Global Marine’s cable installation and burial skills, allied to SMIT’s vessel fleet and offshore experience, creates a significant solution for the burgeoning offshore energy market.

Nordex AG has had a muted start to the new year. Both revenues and order receipts came under pressure in the first quarter as a result of the planned recapitalisation measures. Thus, revenues contracted by roughly 35% over the year-ago quarter to around € 34.9 million (previous year: € 53.7 million) primarily as a result of key suppliers’ hesitation to deliver the parts required in view of the company’s financial weakness and the non-availability of commercial credit insurance cover. At € 34.7 million, order receipts fell short of the forecast (previous year: € 68.9 million). This was due to delays in projects as a result of uncertainty as to whether the recapitalisation methods would be implemented successfully as planned. Thus, customers had no alternative but to hold back orders as they had difficulty finding banks willing to finance their projects. Since recapitalisation, new business has recovered at an extraordinarily strong rate. Nordex has since received new orders worth around € 86 million. In spite of reduced costs, the company again posted an operating loss before tax, interest and exceptionals of € 7.1 million in the period under review (previous year: loss of € 5.5 million).