Manufacturers out in force at CanWEA conference

If a market's potential can be measured by the number of turbine manufacturers looking to make a sale, then the outlook for Canada has never been better. Representatives for nine major international manufacturers, as well as two makers of smaller-scale machines, were at this year's conference. Among them was GE Wind Energy, which brought along its management team and enough sponsorship dollars to be singled out on the official conference banner. CEO Steve Zwolinski said the "very symbiotic relationship" between Canada's abundant hydro and wind resources make it a strong contender for future growth. "They are lucky up here. They are very rich in natural resources and, long term, I think it is a very good market." Also present were Vestas, NEG Micon, and Bonus Energy from Denmark, Nordex, Enercon and REpower Wind Corp from Germany, Turbowinds Canada (the Canadian offshoot of the Belgian wind turbine manufacturer of the same name), and Jeumont from France. Vergnet, also from France, and Atlantic Orient Canada represented the smaller end of the turbine scale.