Mitsubishi Scores Against GE Wind

The U.S. District Court's Western District of Arkansas has denied a motion by General Electric Company to dismiss Mitsubishi's litigation that charges GE with seeking to monopolize the market for variable speed wind turbines in the United States.

In the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court's Western District of Arkansas this summer, Mitsubishi alleges that after it gained a foothold in the United States market in 2006, GE embarked on an unlawful anticompetitive scheme to drive Mitsubishi suppliers out of the U.S. market.

"The judge did decide to stay discovery for the present. Nevertheless, we are heartened by his suggestion that he may terminate the stay if he finds appropriate circumstances," Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas spokeswoman Sonia Williams said in a statement.

In May, Mitsubishi signed a development agreement with the state of Arkansas to build a wind turbine manufacturing plant in Fort Smith, Ark., an expected US$100 million investment. The deal cannot proceed without a favorable decision from the court.