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In a hat trick of events, Spanish turbine manufacturer Ecotècnia has inaugurated a tower facility, has started installing its first megawatt turbines, and this month will launch its latest turbine at the European Wind Energy Conference (EWEC) in Madrid. The EUR 8.9 million Altamira tower facility in Zamora, Castile and León, was aided by EUR 2.5 million in grants from the regional and national governments. Ecotècnia says the facility can produce about 150, 60-70 metre towers a year. Ecotècnia has also started ground shifting work at its own Fuente Alamo wind development in Castile-La Mancha, where it will install 30, 1.67 MW turbines, each with a rotor span of 74 metres. The plant is scheduled to kick in by summer 2004. At EWEC, Ecotècnia is presenting a larger version of its 1.67 MW model, with an 80 metre rotor. The company says a prototype will be running in Castile-La Mancha by September. The frenzied agenda comes on the heels of a report by BTM Consult, a wind industry consulting firm, which names Ecotècnia as the world's joint fastest growing turbine manufacturer throughout 2002 alongside Germany's REpower. Ecotècnia is the third largest Spanish manufacturer in terms of cumulative installed capacity, which topped 500 MW by end-year 2002.