TOKYO, May 29, 2008 -- Asia In Focus

Japan's ITOCHU CORP. (TSE:8001) intends to invest at least 110 billion yen (US$1.1 billion) to develop solar farms in Eastern Europe, where the governments are expanding support for clean energy projects, The Nikkei learned Wednesday. The trading house will construct two or three solar parks in the Czech Republic this year by teaming up with Norwegian solar cell silicon maker SCATEC AS, which has developed five solar parks in Germany.

* The facilities, whose total cost is estimated at 10 billion yen, will be able to generate 10 megawatts combined.

* Itochu plans to invest in Scatec's energy generation subsidiary as early as next month.

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