TOKYO (XFN-ASIA) – Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd is stepping up its renewable energy power systems business, with plans to introduce an industry-leading wind turbine model in Europe by 2010 and establish additional manufacturing bases for solar-cell panels overseas, the Nihon Keizai shimbun reported.

The wind turbine for the European market will feature output of 5 megawatts, compared with the 2-3 mw models currently available. A single unit will be capable of generating enough power for 4,000 households, it said.

The industrial machinery conglomerate has focused on the US, but now plans to expand into Europe, which accounts for 70 pct of the global market. It aims to raise wind turbine production, currently just under 700 mw a year in terms of total output, to 2,000 mw by 2010, hoping to boost sales five-fold from 2006 to more than 200 bln yen, the paper said.

The firm plans to expand production of photovoltaic panels to 10 sites. The Netherlands and Spain are among four candidate countries in Europe, with California and Pennsylvania under consideration in the US, it said.

Mitsubishi Heavy’s power systems business generates annual sales of about 700 bln yen, primarily from fossil-fuel plants. By expanding the renewable energy segment, the company aims to boost the figure to 1 trln yen in three to four years, the paper added.