Spain's Gamesa secures option to buy generator manufacturer

Spanish Gamesa has secured an option to buy Cantarey Reinosa, a maker of generators and electric motors, from Dutch holding group Buce Industries. "Cantarey has wide experience in manufacturing multi-pole systems for use in direct drive turbines," says Gamesa. It has until May 7, 2003, to exercise the option. Juan Ramon Jiménez of Gamesa's turbine making wing, has said Gamesa Eólica aims to provide the whole range of utility scale wind technology. So far, only one Spanish firm, M Torres, has produced a direct drive turbine, with two Torres prototypes being tested. Cantarey Reinosa's single facility is in Cantabria. Buce Industries bought the factory from global engineering group ABB in January 2000.