In 2003 Nordex once again becomes market leader in France

Nordex has been able to successfully defend its Number 1 position in France for the third year running. Of the new wind power capacity of 90.6 MW installed last year, Nordex contributed around 36 % or 32.6 MW. With a total capacity of 91 MW, Nordex currently holds 38% of the market. In France, 481 turbines are currently generating 239 MW of clean energy from wind power according to recent figures released by ADEME, the French environmental and energy organization.

"In spite of what, by European standards, is the small installation base, France is poised to become one of the major markets in Europe over the next few years. What we are experiencing is a rate of development comparable to that witnessed in the German wind power industry ten years ago. Thanks to our very early forays into the French market as well as our own local project development operations, we have an excellent stepping stone for benefiting from this growth to an above-average extent," says Carsten Pedersen, COO Sales and Marketing at Nordex AG.

Compared with Germany or Denmark, the French wind power market is still in its infancy. Whereas installed wind power capacity per capita stands at around 595 watts in Denmark and approxi-mately 170 watts in Germany, the equivalent figure for France is only 4 watts. Given the number of locations with excellent wind conditions, high demand for energy and a well developed infra-structure, France is on the verge of an upswing in wind power. In the "Arrête du 8. Juin 2001", the French government created the legal basis for remunerating wind power, thus establishing a solid basis for the reliable planning and budgeting of wind farm projects. ADEME estimates that an installed wind power capacity of 2,000 MW in 2006 would be possible - this is equivalent to an eight-fold increase over the current figure.