Business View

The power company Iberdrola will invest 1,200 million euros to build an offshore wind farm of 500 megawatts (MW) in France, EFE reported today industry sources.

The same sources said that is an estimate, since technology is advancing fast in the field of offshore wind and prices may vary significantly in the period until the commissioning of the park.

This park is one of five included in the contest resolved today in France.

Iberdrola has achieved the award of a park of 500 MW and located in Saint-Brieuc (north Brittany), in a consortium with Eole-Res which also include the participation of Areva, Technip, STX, Eiffage and Neoen Marine.

The French electricity giant EDF, in consortium with Alstom, has led three other operating licenses, while the attribution of the fifth park has been unsuccessful.

The French government estimates that the construction of these about 2,000 megawatts of wind capacity will involve an investment of 7,000 million euros and the creation of 10,000 direct manufacturing jobs in the regions concerned.

Iberdrola has explained in a statement that the park awarded one of the two who chose, will have 100 wind turbines of 5 MW each and will be located 20 kilometers offshore, “one of the areas with better conditions throughout the world to install such projects. ”

The winning company is Wings Marine Consortium, created specifically for this project for Iberdrola and France’s Eole-Res.

Marine Wing has hired several French companies to develop the park: Areva will manufacture wind turbines, Technip will install the submarine cables, made Neoen Marine environmental studies and STX and Eiffage build platforms for wind turbines.

According to Iberdrola, this will be a boost to job creation in Brittany, as the project will employ an average of 2,000 people during construction of the park and 140 during the 30 years of operation.

The president of the Spanish power, Ignacio Sanchez Galan, pointed out in the statement that this concession “values ​​the experience” of the company, which has a portfolio of over 11,000 MW of offshore wind farms worldwide.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation will strengthen its consular network in the countries of Asia to help attract tourists from countries like China, India, Korea and Japan interested in tourism “higher level” more than in the traditional sun and beach.

This objective is reflected in action plans to Asia in 2012 Affairs, as outlined in the draft law of the State Budget (PGE) approved by the Government.

The department head Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo create a “critical priority” to save space in the Asia-Pacific region to promote business investment and promoting the image of Spain.

In this strategy, Foreign wants to work on increasing the flow of visitors from China and India to boost tourism revenues.

“The future and diversification of our tourism sector is in the rapid growth of these large markets, tourism interested in a higher level than ‘sun and beach tourism’: cultural, historical, shopping,” says Affairs.

Therefore, this department is necessary for the consulates in Asia are “strengthened to respond adequately to this new tourism.”

Spain has a dozen consulates in major Asian countries, including four in China, in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong or Canton.

Last year, about 130,000 Chinese tourists traveled to Spain, which is much lower compared to other countries like France or Italy.

The government’s intention is to exceed half a million tourists by the end of this decade promoting tourism plans and facilitating visa.

In addition to boosting this sector, foreign consulates want the staff have to advise the Spanish companies to drive in a “determined and intelligent” its presence in Asia and help them “overcome barriers and practices that are bad” when investing.

The department heads García-Margallo highlights the opportunities offered by the major competitions in the fields of public works and energy in India and China and defense in Korea, the Philippines and Australia.

It European manufacturer Airbus aircraft reaches unos aircraft net orders of 90 units, you read that puts behind su American competitor Boeing, which publishes a total of 412 in it mismo time.

Airbus announced Hoy sus time data from it until it March 31 last quarter while it Cuale register Diez cancellations on it total charges that scien sus tennis equipment.

Mayor He commissioned them are 51 aircraft (27 A319s it, it 20 A320 A321 it y 4) of the Colombian airline Avianca, followed them for 30 (A320) sought by the American Spirit.

Six of them Diez cancellation of device match Airbus A350 900 al, he assemblage of them primeros ejemplares of this nuevo misma model starts this week in Toulouse (southern France), with al delay against scheduled by it manufacturer.

Airbus last year he hit a record on charges of aircraft deliveries y y in both cases returning to overcome a bad ejercicio Boeing.

In 2011 the main subsidiary of EADS received net orders for 1,419 aircraft, ya them the order of 1608 gross Hubo subtract that numerous cancellations, including one from American Airlines for 130 units.

He returned last year to Airbus dejar ago, the fourth consecutive year, Boeing, who runs with net orders for 805 units.

The Spanish power utility Iberdrola, associated with the French manufacturer Areva in the consortium Ailes Marines SAS, got awarded one of five offshore wind farms in France in the bidding announced today by the Government.

The French electricity giant EDF by the French manufacturer Alstom also in the holding éolien Maritime France took another three operating licenses, while the attribution of the fifth park was deserted.

The French Minister of Industry and Energy, Eric Besson, said Iberdrola had been elected in Saint Brieuc (Brittany), although the EDF offer was cheaper too for that park, because he wanted to “give a chance for a second actor” .

He also explained that he had chosen that particular area because that was where he was attending the two (the second was Saint Nazaire) where the Spanish utility offered the best price.

“We want industry and a sector that sits on two legs. From there, we have chosen to make it cheaper” and in this case was “Iberdrola, which are the largest Dong skilled and exploiting more parks ( farms) sea. ”

Ailes Marines SAS, which are also Eole-Res SA and Technip and STX, is responsible for the construction and exploitation in the Saint Brieuc , a facility with a capacity of 500 megawatts, as others will have to go into production in 2018-2020, Besson said at a news conference.

Maritime eolien France, which also contains the Danish Dong Energy Power, took Fecamp parks (498 MW) and Courseulles-sur-Mer (450 megawatts) both on the coast of Normandy, and that of Saint Nazaire (480 megawatts ), near Nantes, Besson said at a news conference.

The third suitor who had participated in the contest, the French company GDF Suez associated with Germany’s E.ON and French construction company Vinci, did not get any concessions, according to the minister because his proposals were higher than their competitors.

The park was deserted Le Tréport because “there has been sufficient competition” as different applications represented a price of generating electricity that would have entailed too high a cost overrun for the French electrical system of 500 million euros, said the owner of Industry.

However, Besson anticipated that both Le Tréport (in Normandy) and another field in Noirmoutier (in Britain) will be two facilities to be auctioned during the second half of this year.

The four areas now allocated will mean, since they are running a public service cost of electricity of about 1,100 million euros a year (which, like other renewable energies will be charged on the bill of consumers).

A technical team from Salvador de Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Paris, and the region of Trondheim Norway have visited in recent days the facilities of the Regional Transport Consortium, to know how it works.

According to the regional government, Madrid continues to be a reference and example to follow in terms of public transport in the international arena.

The delegations of these countries wanted to know Madrid model planning and management of public transport, “a model inspired delegations from around the world for quality and cutting edge,” the Community of Madrid in a statement.

Both Norway and Brazil and Paris have focused their interest in knowing the Madrid system exchangers, since in the case of the Nordic country, is planning the construction of a major interchange for bus, train and boat in the region of Trondheim.

From Brazil, according to the Community, the Brazilian delegation visit is “constant” as soon Rio organization will face World Cup 2014 and the 2016 Olympic Games, events that require the provision of a large transport infrastructure and proper management.

The Regional Transport Consortium, created by the then Socialist government of Joaquin Leguina, has 25 years dedicated to the coordination of the various modes and operating companies in the sector.

His pioneering work and effectiveness has international recognition and is a model of planning and transport planning imitated not only in Spain but also beyond our borders, says the current regional government.

Since the crisis began in 2008, the Spanish financial sector accounts have been seriously damaged by late payment of real estate companies, which rose from 1.98% in the first quarter of this year to 20.9% it closed 2011.

According to recent data published by the Bank of Spain of 298.267 million euros to the Spanish financial institutions were granted at the end of last year to real estate companies were delinquent 62.366 million, a figure that grew by 4.789 million in one quarter.

In fact, between July and September 2011, the delinquent real estate companies stood at 18.97%, as there were 57.577 million euros a portfolio outstanding of 303,506,000.

As for the interannual evolution, real estate delinquencies rose seven basis points from 13.98% recorded in the last quarter of 2010 to 20.9% one year later, for a real estate loan portfolio totaled 315.782 million then , which fell in that period 17.605 million.

The Bank of Spain data also reflect strong growth in the delinquency of construction firms, and ended the year with 17.65% of outstanding claims, well above the 12.12% they had in December 2010.

Compared to the previous quarter, the difference was just over one and a half points, as it stood at 16.09%.

The real estate and construction activity has gone from being the main driver of the Spanish economy its biggest drag in just four years, as has happened with the accounts of banks, which carry a much lower overall arrears of these depressed sectors .

In particular, late payment of credit extended by banks, savings banks, cooperatives and credit institutions closed 2011 at 7.61%, its highest level of the previous 17 years, particularly since November 1994 when it stood at 8%.

This rise in defaults is a result of increased bad debts, which in December 2011 reached the EUR 135 838 000 134 227 000 compared to November, according to Bank of Spain.

Of that amount, the questionable real estate and construction touched the 80,000 million euros, standing at 79.759 million, which means that 58.7% of defaults across the Spanish financial sector came from this sector.

But the situation was much worse a year ago, as the unpaid real estate accounted for 73% of total bank dubious, almost three quarters of the portfolio outstanding.

The organizing secretary of CDC, Josep Rull, has accused the Spanish government wanted to “drown” in Catalonia with budgets that considered “a provocation”, to force and a gradual process of re-centralization of powers.

Rull has claimed that the budget request Executive Mariano Rajoy “violates a law as the statute”, failing to comply with the provision of 18% investment in infrastructure to Catalonia and not contemplate the payment of the 978 billion owed the state for the settlement of 2008 and 2009.

In addition, the State Budget for 2012 reflect his view a “significant drop” in transfers that are not part of the regular funding of autonomy that affect education, social policies and other services.

Therefore, according to Rull, the accounts presented by the Spanish government represent “a provocation, because no mercy especially in Catalonia”.

Input, and pending the Government to accept some amendments to correct these issues, CiU would vote ‘no’ to budgets, because they lead to Catalonia to “an extreme situation” and prevent “ensure basic elements of the welfare state.”

But more disturbing, according to Rull, is that behind the project budget is sensed an “alarming logic” that can answer a more fundamental strategy of the central government.

“Rajoy is dedicated to centrifuge the deficit to citizens and businesses through an increased tax burden, and centrifuged deficit cutting the tap to the autonomous communities and local world,” he complained.

Account “all the stress transferred to the administrations that provide social services in front line”, while in contrast, “keep intact the structure of government,” he said.

To Rull, “the only explanation is that the state really wants to shield the face of an upcoming recentralization process.”

The strategy would, according to the organizing secretary of Convergence, for “going strangling the state government of a very concrete way to Catalonia”, depriving them of the resources needed to address the services to be provided.

PP spokesman in Congress, Alfonso Alonso, has appealed to the responsibility of other political groups during the processing of the draft budget law because, with these accounts, “Spain is the play.”

Alonso stressed that budgets are “extraordinary” and that while his group is “open” to reach agreement, the PP can not “negotiate with the economic recovery or the credibility of Spain.”

“We are open to talking with others, be able to incorporate them in this project also, but not budgets of any year in which you can go by marketing with a party or another to achieve agreements. That will not be so” he warned.

It further emphasizes that there is now “a majority in Parliament” and, above all, a situation “extraordinary and urgent necessity.”

“What wins CiU (whether to support the budget), which won the PSOE?” Alonso has asked to immediately respond: “To exercise their responsibility.”

This is to support government accounts “in exchange get Spain out of the crisis and, incidentally, in Catalonia. That’s what I have to think,” noted Alonso, after what has stressed that “we are all in the same boat “and” the goal of deficit reduction is a national goal, not an objective of the government or the PP. ”

“We are going more than 40 percent of the budget to pay huge debt interest that was generated during the seven years of Zapatero and to pay unemployment benefits because people are unemployed. Almost half the budget is to pay the socialist legacy, “he assured Alonso, who said that” from there the margin to ensure the rest of the services we have made very limited. ”

In this regard, he recognized that short-term Spain is facing “terrible difficulties” but the medium and long term, “this is the path that will get us out of the crisis.”

According to the spokesman of the popular group, within a time “we wonder what we now and where we were every one of us.

“In the future also will ask the PSOE, they will ask where I was, how helped out of a situation so difficult that they have created,” he complained.

It has therefore asked the PSOE, after lamenting that seems more “concerned” about making a “surly and tense opposition” has blamed his own “weakness” to think of the future.

The former Minister of Finance and the new president Greek Panhellenic Socialist Party (PASOK) Evangelos Venizelos, does not rule out that his country needs a third rescue package to solve the financial crisis or budget.

“We have the commitment of all members of the Eurozone that will receive the necessary help until we can regain access to private money,” said Venizelos today in an interview ahead of the weekly Der Spiegel.

It also ensures that all euro area countries will get the money they have given to Greece and stressed that his country will remain a member of the state of the single currency.

“We have now the critical phase in the rescue of our country. If we can not overcome this issue will arise again,” he stresses.

Considers that, following approval of the second rescue package for Greece should be unleashed euphoria, because “although the framework is now more secure, the game is not over.”

It also recognizes that his nation is now facing a long and difficult road, adding: “I want to end my country can decide for yourself about your destination” and that Greece is again a symbol of hope, credibility and professionalism.

Asked about the hardness of the demands of Germany to his country, Venizelos responds diplomatically saying: “Everyone involved should be clear that we talk about numbers and reforms, but there is always behind people that their fate is decided.”

Finally says that the German taxpayer benefits “of good government monetary investments Germanic”, as this can get almost free money for appropriations for Greece and “get a couple of percentages” to transfer it again.

The German car maker Audi will open its first plant in Mexico, which could initiate the production of luxury SUVs in 2015, according to a report today ahead of the weekly Der Spiegel.

He adds that the direction of Audi has been persuaded of the need to open a factory in Mexico to its parent company of the Volkswagen, which initially planned to expand its plant in the town of Chattanooga U.S..

It also reveals that the manufacturer Audi plans likely will be approved at the next meeting of the supervisory board of Volkswagen on 18 April.

Audi plans to produce in Mexico the new generation of luxury compact SUV Q5 to start an offensive in the U.S. market and break there the dominion of the German brands BMW and Mercedes Benz.

Der Spiegel said that the direction of Audi has managed to convince not only their plans to the supervisory board of Volkswagen, but the works council of the consortium, which until now showed reservations.

The direction of Audi works council said that the Ingolstadt plant, which currently builds the Q5 will produce from 2015 a new model and thus ensure the jobs.