Quebec supplier licensed to manufacture 2 MW wind turbine

A potential wind turbine supplier in Quebec, AAER Inc, has signed licensing contracts allowing it to manufacture a 2 MW turbine designed by Austrian company Wintec for sale to customers in Canada, the United States, Mexico, France and the United Kingdom. Wintec, a veteran of the wind industry, was acquired last December by American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC). AAER has two licence contracts with AMSC, one covering North America and one covering France and the UK. AMSC's Jason Fredette declines to provide specifics, except to say both deals are worth "multi-million US dollars." In addition to the upfront licence fee, AAER will also pay royalty fees for each turbine commissioned and buy critical electrical system components from AMSC, based in Massachusetts. AMSC has consistently followed a strategy of signing turbine licence and component supply agreements to break into developing wind power markets, China being a prime example. The agreement with AAER is its first alliance with a North American wind turbine manufacturer. "With AAER's expertise and the tremendous growth in wind energy taking place in North America and Europe, I believe this new business relationship will provide additional growth for both of our companies," says AMSC's Greg Yurek. AMSC has also licensed the 2 MW design to the Wikov Group in the Czech Republic. AAER, which has factory space in the city of Bromont about 75 kilometres east of Montreal, also has a technology licensing agreement with Germany's Fuhrländer AG. It expects to produce its first turbine by the end of August 2008.