| COLOGNE, GERMANY—May 27, 2009— Four of GE’s two-megawatt (MW) Jenbacher gas engine modules powering a combined heat and power (CHP) plant at the Cologne/Bonn airport recently reached a total of 200,000 hours of operation, displacing the equivalent of 360,000 tons of CO2 since 1999. This milestone, which will be highlighted at a customer event this week, demonstrates the reliability of GE’s energy efficient technology and its part in helping reduce the airport’s environmental impact. The CHP plant was installed in late 1998, years before Germany adopted a national law supporting European Union (EU) emissions reduction targets and encouraging industries to expand the use of cogeneration. Fernwärmeversorgung Niederrhein—the largest municipal district heating company in North Rhine-Westphalia—installed GE‘s advanced cogeneration technology to complete the airport’s more than 30-year-old original heating system. Fernwärmeversorgung Niederrhein is a company of Stadtwerke Dinslaken Group, a regional power and water provider. The energy requirements of more than 500,000 regional households are covered by the district heating company. Three of GE’s engines are continuously operating while the fourth unit provides back-up power. Depending on the airport’s power needs, the engines’ thermal energy can either be used to cover the facility’s heating or cooling requirements by means of absorption chillers. The system, which is combined with cooling equipment, enables seasonal excess thermal power to be used to cool the airport during summer months. This approach allows the district heating company to supply the airport with power at a 99.9% availability rate for the entire year. With this system, Fernwärmeversorgung Niederrhein provides 100% of the airport’s heating, 80% of its cooling and 60% of its electricity requirements. “The reliability and durability of GE’s Jenbacher gas engines have exceeded our
very high
expectations for the units and helped us meet our commitment to provide an
economic and Since 1999, GE’s onsite power plant has generated about 46,000 MWh of electricity annually for the airport, displacing the total equivalent of 360,000 tons of CO2 compared to the same amount of power supplied by a typical coal power station, according to the airport’s 2007 annual report. This is equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of 100,000 one-family homes, as far as electric power consumption is concerned. Since reaching full power in 1999, this new tri-generation system has provided the airport with a reliable, more energy efficient source of power, heat and cooling to support the facility’s steady expansion. The Cologne/Bonn airport is ranked as Germany’s fourth largest airport for combined passenger and freight traffic. Underscoring Germany and the EU’s emphasis on cogeneration as a more energy efficient alternative to relying on separate sources of power and heat, GE’s natural gas-fueled CHP plant has offered an efficiency level of greater than 82%—more than double that of the average coalpowered plant. With the support of the local sales and service office in Bremerhaven—one of six offices of GE’s Jenbacher gas engine subsidiary in Germany—the district heating company has serviced the Cologne/Bonn airport’s CHP plant for 11 years. Since 1998, the district heating company also has separately operated two of GE’s Jenbacher engines for a coal mine gas-to-energy plant in Lohberg. “We are very proud to help the Cologne/Bonn airport demonstrate the benefits of cogeneration to enhance their operations and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions,” said Prady Iyyanki, CEO of GE Energy’s Jenbacher gas engine business. “The success of the airport’s CHP plant further underscores why the EU is making the expansion of commercial and residential cogeneration a priority to help member states meet their Kyoto Protocol goals.” About GE EnergyGE Energy (www.ge.com/energy) is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies, with 2008 revenue of $29.3 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy works in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels. Numerous GE Energy products are certified under ecomagination, GE’s corporate-wide initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet pressing environmental challenges. About GEGE is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com. GE is Imagination at Work. For more information, contact:Martina Streiter Ken Darling or Tom Murnane
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