Alstom lays the cornerstone of plant in Bahia

Alstom is laying today, March 23, the cornerstone of its wind equipment plant in Bahia. The event was attended by the mayor of Camaçari, Luiz Carlos Caetano, by the president of Alstom Brazil, Philippe Delleur, by the vice-president of Power for Alstom Latin America, Marcos Costa, among other authorities.

The factory, under construction at the Industrial Complex of Camaçari, will be delivered in the second half of the year and will generate 150 direct jobs and 500 indirect jobs. The plant will have an installed capacity of 300 MW a year, inside a total area of 50 thousand sq. m, with 30 thousand sq. m of built-up area.

Around R$ 50 million will be invested in the project, between construction and acquisition of equipment. The new factory will be responsible for the manufacturing of wind turbines, becoming the companys first plant dedicated to wind materials in Brazil and its eighth factory among all its sectors of operation. At present, ground leveling works are being conducted and, according to the construction schedule, in April the shed will start to be erected, where the wind turbines will be manufactured.

The construction of this plant represents a very important step for Alstom in Brazil. We believe that the wind market will grow rapidly over the next few years, and is already one of the best alternatives in economic and environmental terms. In addition to the national market, we will serve other projects in Latin America, says Marcos Costa, head of Power for Alstom Latin America.

The company is present in Brazil for 55 years, operating actively in the rail transport and power generation and transmission segments. The wind power market is now one of the big focus of work for the company, which has already signed its first contract in the country. In July 2010, Alstom signed a contract worth 100 million with the Brazilian renewable power generation company Desenvix, a subsidiary of the economic group ENGEVIX, for the construction of a 90 MW wind complex, also in the state of Bahia. The Brotas Complex will be composed of three wind plants, called Macaúbas, Novo Horizonte and Seabra. According to the terms and conditions of the contract, Alstom is supplying 57 ECO 86 wind turbines of 1.67MW each, whose main components are being manufactured in Spain and Brazil. The three wind plants should be commissioned in July this year.

Brazil reached 3.9 GW in wind projects auctioned in 2009/2010, and expects a growth of 2GW a year from 2011 on. Alstom believes in the worlds wind potential as an alternative to the other power generation models, and countries like Brazil, which rely on the strength of their winds, become essential regions for investments for the company, which stimulates the sustainable generation with the least environmental impact.

About Alstom
Alstom is a world leader in rail transport and power and transmission infrastructure, and is a reference in innovative technologies that respect the environment. Alstom builds the fastest trains and the automated metros with greatest capacity in the world, and also supplies integrated plants for power generation, associated services for different sources of energy, such as hydroelectricity, gas, coal, nuclear and wind, and also develops equipment in ultrahigh voltage, direct current interconnections, in addition to the management of electric networks and the integration of renewable sources of energy to the grid. The Group employs 96,000 people in 70 countries and registered sales of 23 billion Euros in 2009/2010 (not considering Power Transmission, a sector recently added to the Group).
In Brazil, Alstom is present for 55 years and has 5,000 direct employees who work in seven units in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul and Rondônia. In 2011, the company will have its 8th unit in the country, in the state of Bahia.

About Alstom Wind
Alstom Wind offers complete solutions for wind plants, comprising on-site development activities, construction project and manufacture of wind turbines, assembly, installation and long-term O&M services. Through the two wind turbine platforms of Alstom, ECO 80 and ECO 100, comprising capacities of 1.67 MW to 3 MW, the company offers wind turbine options that are suitable to meet the requirements of projects with different terrain and wind speed characteristics. All wind products of Alstom feature the ALSTOM PURE TORQUE, an exclusive mechanical design that allows for greater reliability to the speed multiplier. Up to the present, over 2100 wind turbines have been installed in over 110 wind farms, corresponding to a total capacity of over 2700 MW. Alstom is present on the wind markets of Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom, Japan, India, Brazil and United States. The industrial footprint of the company, historically based on Spain, is under international expansion, with the opening of two new manufacture units, one in Brazil (Bahia) and the other in the United States (Amarillo, Texas), expected to be fully operational by mid-2011. Currently, Alstoms wind activities employ over 1,000 people.

PRESS INFORMATION

Alstom Brasil Corporate Communication:
Juliana Souza: juliana.souza@crn.alstom.com / Tel.: (11) 3612 7071

Press relations: CDN Comunicação Corporativa
Mariana Maciel: mariana.maciel@cdn.com.br / Tel: (11) 3643-2734
Marisol Morão: marisol.morao@cdn.com.br / Tel: (11) 3643-2789