China WindPower commits to new wind plants

China WindPower Group announced plans to build eight to 10 wind-power plants on the mainland between now and 2010, with a capital commitment of US$100 million each year, the South China Morning Post reported. The Hong Kong-based company’s plans are in response to the Chinese government’s drive to boost installed wind-energy capacity to 10,000 megawatts by 2010, said chief executive Liu Shunxing. China WindPower, formerly a traditional Chinese medicine chain owner until switching businesses last year, is looking to build the new plants in joint ventures with state-owned companies. It recently acquired the rights to a 200-megawatt wind project in Gansu with a subsidiary of China Shenhua Group.