GE Brings ecomagination to India

General Electric Company (GE) today announced the launch of the company’s innovative ecomagination initiative in India -- designed to bring to market new technologies that will help customers address their most pressing environmental challenges such as the need for cleaner, more efficient sources of energy, reduced emissions and abundant sources of clean water.

The ecomagination initiative was launched in New Delhi by John Rice, GE Vice Chairman and President & CEO,GE Infrastructure and Lorraine Bolsinger, Vice President, Ecomagination in the presence of Mr. Kapil Sibal, Honourable Minister for Science and Technology, Government of India.

On the occasion, the company signed an MoU with Air India that will help the airline achieve its goal of becoming an environmentally sustainable airline, with sound environmental programs and practices. This first-of-its-kind partnership with Air-India will see GE delivering aircraft engines from its ecomagination portfolio including GE90-115B engines for the Boeing 777-300ERs and the GEnx engines for the Boeing 787-800 aircraft ordered by Air India. The value of these orders from Air India is over $2.2 billion. Beyond aircraft engines, to help Air India position itself as an environment friendly airline, GE will partner in other areas such as – green building, in flight content creation, co-branding etc.

GE also announced the signing of an MoU for a Green Building Project with Haryana Technology Park. The Haryana Technology Park is a Government of India approved integrated IT Park supported by Paharpur Business Centre & Software Technology Incubator Park, New Delhi. Under the MoU, GE India and Haryana Technology Park will collaborate in a number of initiatives to create a truly green building project of world standards specifically in the areas of utility services like power generation & distribution, lighting, water treatment, security, sensing equipment and other environmentally friendly solutions.

Kapil Sibal, Honourable Minister for Science and Technology, Government of India said, “We have been harnessing mother nature for far too long. The more we consume nature’s vital and valuable resources for temporary gain, the harder it gets for us to combat the consequences of the resultant phenomenon. Ecomagination is an initiative whose time has come, an initiative that will enable the business community to move away from the trodden path onto a new road of discovery and invention through the use of environment-friendly technologies. I commend GE for taking this initiative and hope others will follow.”

“With nearly US$ 2 billion in revenues in India today and a target of US$ 8 billion by 2010, GE’s commitment to India is deeper and stronger than ever before. Advanced energy, infrastructure and environmental technologies bridge our company and India to a horizon of immense potential growth,” said Mr Rice.

GE said that it was targeting over US$ 1 billion per year in revenues from ecomagination products in India by 2010. GE also announced that it will invest up to US$150 million in “eco-related” research & development funds at its Technology Center in Bangalore over the next five years.

Mr Rice said, “India is home to some of our finest research capabilities, our most creative and dedicated employees, and the customers who will benefit from the strength and promise of both. We look forward to the next phase of our work in India, fueled by the power of ecomagination, the commitment of our customers and partners, and the strength of our employees.”

Lorraine Bolsinger, Vice President, Ecomagination said, “As India continues on its path to economic prosperity, its growth puts further burden on the country’s environment and natural resources. That is why there is a critical and pressing need for innovative, sustainable and eco-friendly solutions. Ecomagination is GE’s commitment to address and develop solutions for the environmental challenges that our customers face today. Through ecomagination, we will establish partnerships with our customers like Air India and the Haryana Technology Park to tackle their most pressing environmental challenges.”

Mr Scott Bayman, President & CEO, GE in India said, “I have been in India for over a decade and have witnessed its growth first hand. It therefore gives me immense pleasure to see how advanced, eco-friendly technologies are becoming a priority in India. The time is right and we are seeing a growing commitment on the part of companies in India to embrace the latest in clean and green technologies including the most advanced eco-friendly aviation and locomotive engines, energy turbines, and water treatment solutions.”

GE showcased a number of ecomagination products including eco-friendly aviation and locomotive engines, cleaner coal technologies, efficient gas turbines, sustainable and renewable energy solutions for rural areas, water treatment solutions and technologies to meet some of the most pressing needs in the automotive and industrial sectors.

The ecomagination products already introduced by GE in India include products from aviation, energy, plastics and water. Some highlights include:

Rural Electrification -- Through the GE Rural Electrification Program, GE Energy is providing Malavalli Power Plant Private Limited (MPPL) with 30 Jenbacher JMS320 engines, which will be used to generate combined heat and power to meet electrical, refrigeration and heating needs within rural communities. GE’s Jenbacher engines operate on a variety of alternative or specialty fuels including biogas, crop residue, municipal solid waste, landfill, coal mine methane and industrial waste gases.
Water Purification -- GE developed a solar-powered fresh water purification system to assist the long-term recovery and relocation efforts of tsunami-affected remote villages in southern India. Developed jointly by GE Energy and GE Water & Process Technologies, this new system combines solar technology with salt and particulate-reducing water purification systems.
Wood Replacement at Railways -- Existing bench seats in the Mumbai Metro use wood-based composites. The Indian Railways would like to opt for recyclable materials, which offer improved aesthetics and also maintain the high standards of safety required in rail coach interiors. Railways have chosen Lexan 953R, pre-coloured Blue, because of its recyclability, aesthetics, high strength and conformance to the flame retardant, low smoke emission standards
More information about ecomagination can be found though GE’s ecomagination report which is available at www.ge.com/ecoreport