Alstom expands Setubal manufacturing workshop in Portugal and commits to creating additional jobs in the region

The Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Paulo Portas and the President of the Portuguese agency for Foreign Trade and Investment AICEP, Mr. Pedro Reis joined Alstom executives on April 17 at the companys manufacturing workshop in Setubal, Portugal to announce the companys plans to invest close to 12.5 million in expanding and further upgrading the technical capabilities of the Setubal facility. This expansion will create 130 direct and indirect jobs in the region.

Alstoms unit in Setubal is currently one of its two worldwide centres for the manufacture of Heat Recovery Steam Generators for gas-fired power plants, condensers and other pressure parts for conventional power plants. The unit exports equipment globally, with a special focus on Alstom projects in Europe, Middle East, Northern Africa and the Western Coast of USA. The unit has been operational since 1976 and currently employs 360 people from Setubal and neighbouring Portuguese regions.

Alstom is now diversifying its industrial activities in Setubal by expanding the scope of the workshop to manufacture condensers and Moisture Separator Reheaters (MSR) to be used in the conventional island of nuclear power plants. The land at the site already offered scope for expansion and Setubals direct access to the sea makes it an ideal manufacturing location for this equipment. Not only is the site capacity being increased but also the technical conditions of the factory are being enhanced to manufacture the new equipment. It is planned that the unit will manufacture this equipment from mid-2013 and it will be exported for Alstoms nuclear projects worldwide.
 
Patrick Ledermann, Senior Vice President of Alstoms Nuclear business said, The expansion at Setubal will give Alstom an edge in manufacturing some of the key equipment of a nuclear power plant conventional island, providing us a better control over our supply chain and optimising the delivery time for our customers.

The building work will commence in May 2012 and is expected to take a year to complete. Once completed approximately 130 additional jobs will be created, 55 of which being new jobs at the Setubal factory.

Commenting on the project, Angelo Ramalho, Country President, Alstom Portugal said, Alstom is committed to developing its facilities to produce world-class equipment for power production. The investment we are making in Setubal allows us to offer our customers products manufactured to the highest technical standards while creating both direct and indirect manufacturing jobs in the region.

Alstom is applying to the Portuguese government for a partial funding of this project and is strongly supported in this endeavour by the Portuguese agency for Foreign Trade and Investment AICEP.

Press contacts
Sapna Lalwani (Alstom Thermal Power) - Tel +41 79 486 3798
Irma Aguado (Media Relations Manager Spain and Portugal) Tel +34 91 334 56 81