Iberdrola enters US Wind Power market In a deal that is subject to approval by the U.S., the Spanish
electric company Iberdrola has bought out Community Energy (CEI)
for €23.8 million.
The acquisition of Community
Energy marks Iberdrola´s entry in the U.S. market. Community
Energy’s project portfolio includes 2,000 megawatts of wind
power in several regions on the east coast of the United States.
The head of the Spanish company,
Ignacio Sanchez Galan, is convinced that the combination of
Iberdrola´s international experience in operating and managing
wind power parks and CEI´s status in the U.S., will assure them
great success and rapid growth in the American wind power market.
The United States is one of
Iberdrola´s most important target markets. Last January, they
set up a subsidiary, Iberdrola Renewable Energies USA, in North
Virginia.
Spanish street furniture for New York The New York city's Franchise and Concession Review Committee
formally approved a 20-year, $1 billion agreement with the
Spanish company Cemusa Inc. to design and install 3,300 bus
shelters, 330 newsstands and 20 automatic public toilets.
The
winning bidder, Cemusa, the outdoor advertising arm of the
Spanish company
Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas
(FCC), won over two competitors: Van Wagner, which
has managed the city's bus-stop shelters since the mid-1980's,
and a joint venture of NBC Universal and JCDecaux, a major
outdoor-advertising company based in France. In exchange for
building the structures on city streets, Cemusa will collect
advertising revenue from them for 20 years.
Under the deal,
Cemusa is to provide the city with a minimum of $999 million in
cash over 20 years along with $398 million worth of free
advertising. The deal also provides a share of revenue for the
city if ad sales are unusually strong. Cemusa is a global leader
in the design, manufacturing, installation and maintenance of
award-winning street furniture. More than 110,000 of their
structures have been seamlessly integrated into more than 110
cities around the world to enhance the aesthetics and
functionality of public services.
Interview with Jonathan Donado, CEO of Applus+ in the US Applus+ is a Spanish company specialized in
safety programs and enviromental inspection of vehicles. Based
in Barcelona, Applus+ has its American headquarters in Chicago,
from where it runs its different activities nationwide. In this
interview, Jonathan Donado, CEO of Applus+ in the US analyses
the goals and challenges for the company in the American market.
What are your main
areas of business in the US?
Applus+ develops, carries out and manages safety
programs and environmental inspections of vehicles for
government agencies on a national scale. In the United
States we manage 10.2 million inspections each year. We
also supervise more than 2,550 stations and train a
total 11,250 inspectors nationwide. Applus+ employs 350
people and has a presence in the states of Connecticut,
Massachusetts, Illinois, Rhode Island, Georgia and
Washington.
[more]
A Spanish group becomes the second largest provider of plasma in the world The Spanish company
Grifols has become the second largest
provider of plasma worldwide. The Spanish group acquired recently the
American PlasmaCare, an independent company headquartered in Cincinnati,
Ohio, specialized in the collection of plasma in the United States.
Its
14 plasmapheresis (plasma collection) centers are located throughout the
Midwest and South and will join Grifols existing network of 50 US
centers. From the plasma collected in the donation centers, Grifols
manufactures plasma derivatives, vital proteins for therapeutic use for
people suffering from chronic illnesses, such as the different
immunodeficiencies and hemophilia.
Besides its network of plasma
collection centers, Grifols has two plasma production plants located in
Barcelona and Los Angeles and a commercial presence in more than 90
countries. Over the past four years, Grifols has invested more than 300
million dollars in the United States, moving forward in its strategy to
expand internationally.
Gamesa Aeronáutica helps redesign Boeing 747 Jumbo
The Spanish company Gamesa Aeronautica has signed a contract with Boeing
to redesign the second floor of their new Jumbo jet. A team of engineers
from the Spanish aeronautical company travelled to Boeing headquarters
in Seattle to begin work.
[more]
BBVA Bancomer USA to open 265 offices in five years
TSpanish financial institution BBVA has an ambitious expansion plan for
their BBVA Bancomer USA division, which is to open 265 offices in five
years for a total 300. They currently operate 35 branch offices in the
U.S.
[more]
The Spanish company Repsol will supply gas to the Northeastern part of the US
Canaport LNG, the partnership between
the Spanish company
Repsol YPF and Irving Oil, announced
that it has been awarded the on-shore and off-shore Engineering,
Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contracts and issued the final
notice to proceed for the construction of the first new liquefied
natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal on the East Coast of North America
in decades.
[more]
One thousand scientists will work in the center for biomedicine of Barcelona The city of Barcelona recently took an important step in its pursuit to
become an international leader in Biomedicine research. The new center
for biomedicine research will host about 80 research groups composed of
more than 1,000 scientists. Among them are prominent researchers such as
Luis Serrano, head of the Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg
Germany; Ramin Shiekhattar, an American expert in molecular biology; and
Swedish scientist Nino Kunzli, a specialist in atmospheric pollution.
The director of the biomedicine
research center, Jordi Cami, said that “the possibilities for
cooperation and coordination are multiplied and there is a greater level
of competitiveness when you are working in the same facility”. Although
the different research groups will be autonomous and will have their own
budget, amounting to about €60 million annually, all will share “superb
services in the areas of science and technology”, emphasized Cami. For
example, a center for clinical test, bioinformatic resources, and an
animal center capable of raising and storing mice and other laboratory
animals, among many other services.
The new facility, which exhibits bold
architecture characteristics, was strategically located adjacent to the
Hospital del Mar and the Pompeu Fabra University at a cost of 141
million dollars. Its objective is to transform the region of Catalonia
into a significant engine for the economic development of Southern
Europe.
Technology Review highlights the Spanish infrastructure management companies
In a special report, the American magazine Technology
Review, produced by MIT, highlights Spain’s international dominance in
the transportation infrastructure industry, its increasing global
presence and the reasons for its competitive advantages. [more]
Spain exhibits its plastic industry in Chicago A total of 10 Spanish companies will exhibit their products and latest
innovations this month at
NPE ’06 in Chicago (June 19-23, 2006).
NPE is the largest trade event dedicated to the plastic industry in
2006. In this year’s edition, Spain will take part in the trade show
under an official pavilion organized by the Trade Commission of Spain in
Chicago.
The Spanish exhibitors will be the following:
FEAMM,
ABM Moldes,
Irumold,
Luxber,
Mundimold,
Nudec,
Procesos Técnicos del Molde,
Sairem Iberica,
Side and
Urola. Spain has one of the largest plastic industries in the
world. It is also one of its most exports-oriented. Spanish plastics
exports reached 2.8 million tons in 2004, including converting and raw
materials. The US is the second biggest export market for Spanish
manufacturers.
Spanish machinery builders and moldmakers are also well
positioned in this sector, especially in the fields of aerospace,
packaging, automotive electric/electronic products and home appliances.
When it comes to technology, Spanish companies are particularly adept in
identifying and exploiting niches. For additional information on the
exhibitors from Spain at NPE ’06, please visit
www.us.spainbusiness.com/npe06.
Reverse trade mission to Champaign
Ernest Hemingway visited Spain for the first time in
1921, winding up in Pamplona for the sanfermines, the famous running of
the bulls. [more]
Texas invites Spanish companies to invest in their infrastructures
During a meeting that took place while Spain’s
Minister of Public Works, Magdalena Alvarez, was on an official tour of
the U.S., Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams expressed his deep
interest in having Spanish companies invest in his state’s
infrastructure.
[more]
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In a deal that is subject to approval by the U.S., the Spanish
electric company Iberdrola has bought out Community Energy (CEI)
for €23.8 million.
The New York city's Franchise and Concession Review Committee
formally approved a 20-year, $1 billion agreement with the
Spanish company Cemusa Inc. to design and install 3,300 bus
shelters, 330 newsstands and 20 automatic public toilets. 
Applus+ is a Spanish company specialized in
safety programs and enviromental inspection of vehicles. Based
in Barcelona, Applus+ has its American headquarters in Chicago,
from where it runs its different activities nationwide. In this
interview, Jonathan Donado, CEO of Applus+ in the US analyses
the goals and challenges for the company in the American market.
The Spanish company 
The city of Barcelona recently took an important step in its pursuit to
become an international leader in Biomedicine research. The new center
for biomedicine research will host about 80 research groups composed of
more than 1,000 scientists. Among them are prominent researchers such as
Luis Serrano, head of the Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg
Germany; Ramin Shiekhattar, an American expert in molecular biology; and
Swedish scientist Nino Kunzli, a specialist in atmospheric pollution.
A total of 10 Spanish companies will exhibit their products and latest
innovations this month at 