DEVENS, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Superconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: AMSC), a global power technologies company, announced today that it has received an additional follow-on order for $10 million worth of wind turbine core electrical components from China’s CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute Co., Ltd. (CSR-ZELRI). Based in the Hunan province of China, CSR-ZELRI is a subsidiary of China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock Corp. (CSR), China’s largest railway equipment and associated power systems manufacturer. CSR-ZELRI will use the components in the 1.65 megawatt (MW) wind turbines designed by AMSC’s wholly owned AMSC Windtec™ subsidiary. AMSC expects to ship all of the core components to CSR-ZELRI by the end of calendar year 2010.

CSR-ZELRI installed its first prototype wind turbine in Jianghua, located in China’s Hunan Province in November 2007, approximately 10 months after licensing AMSC Windtec’s 1.65 MW doubly-fed induction wind turbine design. The company entered series production of the turbines in mid-2008. This latest core component order is the fifth that AMSC has received from CSR-ZELRI and follows close on the heels of a $10 million order booked in November 2009.

“CSR-ZELRI has done an excellent job of rapidly scaling its wind turbine manufacturing operation to capitalize on the strong growth of China’s wind industry,” said Dan McGahn, president and chief operating officer of AMSC. “This success has led to a quick succession of core component orders, each larger than the last. With five Chinese wind turbine manufacturers who have adopted AMSC Windtec designs either in production or set to enter production soon, 2010 is shaping up to be another record year for AMSC.”

CSR-ZELRI licensed AMSC Windtec’s proprietary model WT1650 wind turbine designs under a contract signed in December 2006. Under the terms of the agreement, CSR-ZELRI has the rights to manufacture, use and sell the 1.65 MW wind energy system in China. Windtec also provided training for CSR-ZELRI’s staff as well as project management services for the company’s first two prototype units. Under the terms of the original license agreement, AMSC also received the right to provide CSR-ZELRI with core electrical components for all of its 1.65 MW wind turbines.

According to the Global Wind Energy Council, China’s wind power market experienced another record year of growth in 2009, more than doubling its wind generating capacity from 12.1 gigawatts (GW) to 25.1 GW. Industry research firm Emerging Energy Research (EER) expects China’s total installed capacity to exceed 200 GW by 2020.

AMSC’s wind turbine electrical control systems and core electrical components include the company’s proprietary PowerModule™ power converters, pitch and yaw converters, SCADA systems and other power electronics. They enable reliable, high-performance wind turbine operation by controlling power flows, regulating voltage, monitoring system performance, controlling the pitch of wind turbine blades and the yaw of the turbines to maximize efficiency.

About CSR-ZELRI

Established in 1959, CSR-ZELRI is a subsidiary of China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock Corp (CSR), China's largest railway equipment manufacturer and a leader in the power sector. The company has more than 8,000 staff members and had RMB 7.3 billion capital assets. The company's annual sales volume exceeds RMB 5 billion worldwide. More information is available at http://www.teg.cn/en/jtnb_67_579_show.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, D-VAR, dSVC, PowerModule, PQ-IVR, PQ-SVC, Secure Super Grids, SuperGEAR, SeaTitan 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 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; a significant portion of our revenues are derived from a single customer, and a reduction in business with this customer could adversely affect our operating results; adverse changes in domestic and global economic conditions could adversely affect our operating results; changes in exchange rates could adversely affect our results from operations; our common stock may experience extreme market price and volume fluctuations, which may prevent our stockholders from selling our common stock at a profit and could lead to costly litigation against us that could divert our management’s attention; if we fail to implement our business strategy, our financial performance and our growth could be materially and adversely affected; we may not realize all of the sales expected from our backlog of orders and contracts; many of our revenue opportunities are dependent upon subcontractors and other business collaborators, and a reduction in orders stemming from these companies could adversely affect our operating results; our products face intense competition, which could limit our ability to acquire or retain customers; our success is dependent upon attracting and retaining qualified personnel and our inability to do so could significantly damage our business and prospects; and our international operations are subject to risks that we do not face in the U.S., which could have an adverse effect on our operating results. 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.

American Superconductor Corporation
Jason Fredette, 978-842-3177
Director, Corporate Communications
jfredette@amsc.com