GE TO POWER MIDEAST W/GAS

GE is also doing some exciting things in wind.

GE Energy Expands Power Project Capabilities in Middle East
May 31, 2007 (Business Wire)

WHO
GE Energy, Ed Wollyung, GE regional manager; Steve Bolze, President of Power Generation

WHAT
GE Energy is expanding activity in the Middle East, opening new offices and developing power plants in Saudi Arabia (SA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The Arabian Gulf region, showing Saudi Arabia and the UAE, among others (click to enlarge)
WHEN
- Expansion presently occurring, following late 2006/early 2007 commitments for power plant projects in SA.
- Summer 2008: A 4 gigawatt installation.
- GE has been active since in the region since 1966.

WHERE
- GE is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Expanded projects office, Riyadh, SA, new projects offices, Dammam, SA, and Dubai, UAE.

WHY
- Power plant projects: $2 billion, 47 F-class and E-class gas turbines, adding 6.3 gigawatts to SA grid.
- Also adding simple cycle gas turbine capability to SA’s largest power project, Power Plant 9 (PP9), a 1997 1,200-megawatt combined-cycle facility, the largest in the Middle East, and preparing to add 12 GE Frame 7EA gas turbines (the largest single installation of them in the world): 56 units, 4 gigawatts.
- GE SA total installations: 350 units, 7.8 gigawatts.
Providing an endless supply of services
QUOTES
- Bolze: “The Middle East is one of the most important growth areas for GE Energy in the world today…The expanded presence is part of GE’s larger commitment to regionalize our project capabilities worldwide. That is particularly critical in the Middle East, where the need for additional power supply is driving strong demand for power plant equipment and services, as evidenced by the recent commitments our business has received.”
- Wollyung: “Saudi Arabia’s electricity use has been increasing at a rate of about seven percent a year, and the Water and Electricity Ministry estimates that the Kingdom will require up to 20 gigawatts of additional power generating capability by the year 2019…We are committed to helping our customers in Saudi Arabia and throughout the Middle East meet the growing demand for reliable power.”