Iberdrola and Gamesa who are partners in a venture called Nuevas Energias Ibericas (NEI) plan to go to court to ask for the suspension of the tender process for wind farm licences in Portugal and seek re-admittance to the auction.

If you're wondering why they're so desperate to get back into the game, it's because this is a huge contract. It is a two-phase 1,500-megawatt project which will at a stroke, more than double wind power capacity in Portugal, among world leaders in installing new wind power in 2005.

Meanwhile, Ibedrola and Gamesa - both Spanish companies - must be smarting from the fact that they would not win a contract on home iberian turf.