DEVENS, Mass., Mar 02, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

American Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: AMSC), a global power technologies company, today announced that it has received initial wind turbine electrical control system orders from China's Dongfang Turbine Co. Ltd. (DTC). The systems will be utilized in DTC's 3 megawatt (MW) and 5 MW full conversion wind turbines, which were designed by and jointly developed with AMSC. AMSC will be shipping the electrical control systems to DTC in calendar year 2011. DTC, the third largest wind turbine manufacturer in China and one of the world's 10 largest wind turbine manufacturers, plans to begin volume shipments of these multi-megawatt wind turbines in 2012.

"With more than 5,000 MW of cumulative installations, DTC has firmly established itself as a world-class wind turbine manufacturer. To maintain this position of leadership, we are launching new multi-megawatt wind turbines with exceptional power quality and grid friendliness," said Mr. Ren Jiafu, Vice General Manager, Dongfang Turbine Co. "We look forward to utilizing these electrical control systems from AMSC to manufacture our first 3 MW and 5 MW wind turbines while also exploring options to upgrade the 5 MW to 5.5 MW, and plan to begin making volume shipments in 2012."

China is now the world's largest wind power market both in terms of annual installations and total installations to date. According to the Global Wind Energy Council, China installed a record 16,500 MW of wind power in 2010, increasing its total installed capacity to more than 42,000 MW.

"A powerhouse in China's growing wind power market, DTC has partnered with AMSC to introduce its next-generation wind turbines," said Greg Yurek, founder and chief executive officer of AMSC. "Having been designed for use both on land and at sea, DTC's 3 MW wind turbine has broad applicability while its 5 MW turbine is particularly well suited for the global offshore wind market. We are pleased to receive these initial orders and are happy to support DTC as they launch these advanced wind turbine platforms."

For more information on AMSC's offerings for the wind power market visit http://www.amsc.com/products/applications/windEnergy/index.html.

About Dongfang Turbine Co. Ltd.

Established in 1966, Dongfang Turbine Co. Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dongfang Electric Corporation, China's largest provider of power generating equipment and power generating stations. Dongfang Turbine Co. Ltd had more than 7,000 staff members and over RMB 40 billion capital assets by the end of October 2010. The company's annual sales volume exceeds RMB 10 billion. More information is available at http://www.dfstw.com/index.aspx.

About American Superconductor (NASDAQ: AMSC)

AMSC offers an array of proprietary technologies and solutions spanning the electric power infrastructure - from generation to delivery to end use. The company is a leader in renewable energy, providing proven, megawatt-scale wind turbine designs and electrical control systems. The company also offers a host of Smart Grid technologies for power grid operators that enhance the reliability, efficiency and capacity of the grid, and seamlessly integrate renewable energy sources into the power infrastructure. These include superconductor power cable systems, grid-level surge protectors and power electronics-based voltage stabilization systems. AMSC's technologies are protected by a broad and deep intellectual property portfolio consisting of hundreds of patents and licenses worldwide. More information is available at www.amsc.com.

American Superconductor and design, Revolutionizing the Way the World Uses Electricity, AMSC, Powered by AMSC, Amperium, D-VAR, dSVC, FaultBlocker, PowerModule, PowerPipelines, PQ-IVR, PQ-SVC, SeaTitan, SuperGEAR and Windtec and design are trademarks or registered trademarks of American Superconductor Corporation or its subsidiaries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

Any statements in this release about future expectations, plans and prospects for the company, including our expectations regarding the future financial performance of the company and other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will" and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. There are a number of important factors that could materially impact the value of our common stock or cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include: we have a history of operating losses, and we may incur losses in the future; our operating results may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and may fall below expectations in any particular fiscal quarter; a significant portion of our revenues are derived from a single customer and revenues from this customer may decline in future periods; adverse changes in domestic and global economic conditions could adversely affect our business; changes in exchange rates could adversely affect our financial results; we may not realize all of the sales expected from our backlog of orders and contracts; we rely upon third party suppliers for the components and subassemblies of many of our products, making us vulnerable to supply shortages and price fluctuations; we have not manufactured our Amperium wire in commercial quantities, and a failure to manufacture our Amperium wire in commercial quantities at acceptable cost and quality levels would substantially limit our future revenue and profit potential; and our patents may not provide meaningful protection for our technology, which could result in us losing some or all of our market position. Reference is made to these and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of the company's most recent quarterly or annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, any forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the company's views as of the date of this release. While the company anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause the company's views to change, the company specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the company's views as of any date subsequent to the date this press release is issued.

SOURCE: American Superconductor Corporation

AMSC Contact:
Jason Fredette, 978-842-3177
Managing Director, Corporate Communications
jfredette@amsc.com