Business Briefs: biotech, wind, and water

According to analysis by Medicon Valley Academy, the biotech industry in the Scandinavian Øresund region performed strongly last year, with the 100 small and medium sized companies in the sector in the region increasing their workforce by 30%, producing a total of more than 3,500 employees. There were also 12 companies set up last year, nine in Denmark and three in Sweden. It has also become significantly easier for biotech companies in the region to procure venture capital.

Royal Dutch/Shell has announced that its renewables branch has made its first move into the California wind energy market. The company has signed an agreement to acquire the 41 megawatt Cabazon Pass wind park in the San Gorgonio Pass area, west of Palm Springs.

Finally, water company, Vivendi, has announced that Alain Rousse, Chairman and CEO of MSE, a subsidiary of Vivendi Water Systems specialised in water treatment engineering, has been elected as president of SNITER (Syndicat National des Industries du Traitement des Eau Résidualres – the National Association of Wastewater Treatment Industries). Rousse is an electrical engineer and a graduate of the Institute du Commerce Extérieur and of the Collège des Hautes Etudes de l’Environnement.