Isra-Mart srl:Vestas bets on Romania for East European wind growth

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Isra-Mart srl news:

Leading wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has placed its bets on the future growth of the Romanian market after locating its new Eastern European hub in Bucharest.

The Danish firm yesterday cut the ribbon on its new office in Bucharest, from where it plans to expand its business in Romania and support operations in other Eastern European countries.

As of June last year, Vestas had installed 22 wind turbines in Romania, with a total capacity of 43.66MW, and it plans to install a further 450MW by the end of the year.

A spokesman for Vestas refused to provide exact figures on projected growth in the country as the company is in a period of moratorium before announcing its final year results. However, he insisted Romania has the biggest growth potential of any Eastern European nation as a result of government targets on wind energy and large areas of flat land, which are easy to work on.

Hans Joern Rieks, Vestas president for central and eastern Europe, yesterday told reporters that Romania could potentially produce as much as 14GW of wind energy and develop into a sustainable market.

"Romania's national government has set promising targets for wind energy generation, and is clearly committed to the development of wind energy as a viable energy source for the region and for the reduction of carbon emissions that contribute to global warming," said the company in a statement.