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While the bidding war for acquisition of Repower took centre stage in recent months, less obvious was the German turbine company's entry into the US. Last month, Enxco, a veteran wind project developer now owned by the renewables division of French utility EDF, bought 44 Repower 2 MW turbines for various wind projects in the south-west of Washington state. Of these, 35 are to be installed next year, with the remaining nine installed in 2009. The order followed an earlier contract between the two companies in April that called for 75 units destined for the Shiloh II wind plant in California, facing permitting difficulties following concerns raised by a local US Air Force base (“uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç, June 2007). Enxco is cautiously optimistic the base will withdraw its opposition to allow construction and completion in 2008. Repower's Fritz Vahrenholt expects about 20% of the company's annual turbine production run will be destined for the US. Repower is setting up a branch office in Portland, Oregon, for sales, service and project management.