16 September 2003 - Austria's EXAA power exchange has signed up new members from Britain, Slovenia and Spain and now has 25 members, according to a statement from the exchange Monday.

The companies include the Belgrade-based trading office of UK energy trader Energy Financing Team Limited (EFT), Slovenia's largest power supplier Holding Slovenske Elektrarne (HSE) and Spain's third largest power firm Union Fenosa (UNF.MC), it said.

"EFT is likely to start trading in the coming days, while HSE and Union Fenosa are set to begin in some weeks time," EXAA management board member Manfred Pinter told the Reuters news agency. "We are also in concrete talks with five other companies, but I can't give any names yet," he said.

EXAA is looking to the Eastern bloc countries seeking EU accession for the expansion it seeks and aims to raise its membership to 30 by the end of the year

They said then that EXAA was targeting between three and five large commercial power consumers in Austria's paper and steel industries for membership in order to create a counterweight to generation interests on the exchange.