World Business Briefing: France: Alstom Buys a Wind Energy Company
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Alstom, a maker of coal-fired power stations, agreed to buy EcotÃ¨cnia of Spain to enter the wind energy market. Alstom will pay 350 million euros ($471 million) for EcotÃ¨cnia, which also makes solar panels, it said. The purchase will help Alstom, which is based in Paris, expand in the United States and Asia, it said. Buying EcotÃ¨cnia strengthens Alstomâs presence in renewable energy as governments seek alternatives to coal, gas and oil. Alstom also sells hydroelectric equipment and worked with Russiaâs state nuclear agency in April to develop atomic plants.
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French engineering company Alstom said Friday it won a development contract with Germany power and gas provider E.on AG to develop a carbon dioxide emissions capture plant in southern Sweden.
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Business & money: French president will confirm today the â¬90bn (Â£61bn) merger between energy groups Suez and Gaz de France.
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China has awarded Alstom more than $1.5 billion Cdn worth of contracts for trains and locomotives, the French engineering giant said Saturday on the first day of a visit there by President Jacques Chirac.
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A Massachusetts company that makes electronic parts for wind turbines said that it would acquire one of its largest customers, an Austrian company.
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Clayton, Dubilier &amp; Rice Inc. and two partners will buy an electrical-equipment supplier from France&#39;s Pinault-Printemps-Redoute SA for 2.6 billion euros ($3.45 billion), the New York-based firm&#39;s third European takeover this year.
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LagardÃ¨re, FranceÂs largest publisher, agreed to buy Sportfive for 865 million euros ($1.1 billion) to enter the market for soccer and rugby broadcasting. Sportfive, whose main shareholders are Advent International, Goldman Sachs, Capital Partners and the RTL Group, is expected to have 2006 sales of 526 million euros, LagardÃ¨re said. The purchase price includes debt. LagardÃ¨re, formerly one of FranceÂs biggest military contractors, has purchased media companies to diversify from the aerospace industry. Sportfive, which has headquarters in Paris and Hamburg, is EuropeÂs largest soccer marketing and media rights company.
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France's Geophysique agrees to buy Veritas DGC, turning it into the world's biggest provider of oil search services.
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French state-owned energy company Gaz de France is going to sign a contract Monday to take a controlling stake in Romanian gas supplier Distrigaz Sud for about 330 mln eur, company CEO Jean-Frangois Cirelli ...
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Sagem SA, a French defense-electronics maker, offered to buy state-controlled jet-engine maker Snecma SA for 4.9 billion euros ($6.24 billion) in stock as French President Jacques Chirac tries to create ...
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"We intend to enter into a long-term commitment in the United Kingdom and make continuous investments in the quality of our services."  German state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn AG announced Monday it has agreed to buy Britain's Laing Rail, which runs passenger services in central and southern England. via CNN
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(InfoWorld) - The European Commission approved Fujitsu's planned acquisition of French computer services group GFI Informatique, even though the deal is uncertain to materialize. "The planned deal won't have a significant impact on competition," the Commission said Tuesday in a statement. Fujitsu-controlled FS Participation SAS bid $530 million for GFI. The move is part of Fujitsu's aim to boost its presence in key European markets. Fujitsu competes against IBM and Electronic Data Systems in IT services. It hopes that acquiring GFI will help it expand into France and Spain, while the group's global channels help GFI gain contracts abroad, Fujitsu said. Fujitsu's pursuit of GFI has hit a snag, however, as private-equity firm and stakeholder Apax Partners increased its stake in the French firm. Fujitsu may be forced to raise its offer or seek another target in France or Spain. The bid for GFI follows a string of acquisitions by Fujitsu that includes German system developer TDS Informationstechnologie in January for about â¬100 million ($136 million). The company hopes to boost European sales by 8 percent a year over the next three years, helped by mergers and acquisitions.
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PARIS : Alstom, which built the Queen Mary 2 cruise liner and TGV high-speed trains and is a leading maker of power generation equipment, said it has slashed losses and pulled in orders only six months after completing rescue refinancing.
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By Claire Soares  The world's first floating wind turbine could be up and running in under two years after the German engineering giant Siemens teamed up with a Norwegian energy group yesterday to try to generate electricity in the middle of the North Sea.
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France's Alstom unveils a new high-speed AGV train which should travel at 360km/h (224mph).
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MILAN/LONDON  - Private equity firm Blackstone Group  is in talks to buy a minority stake in Italy's No. 2 fixed-line phone operator Wind, two years after it lost out in a bid battle for the company, a person familiar with the situation said on Wednesday.
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French engineering giant Alstom unveiled a new super-fast train on Tuesday which it claims will be quicker, cleaner and bigger than its Japanese and German rivals.