Abu Dhabi, UAE; December 11, 2006: GE's Oil & Gas business is expanding its broad portfolio of products and services to help meet the pressing energy and environmental needs of customers in the Middle East. The region represents a high-growth, emerging market for GE with orders in this market worth US$8 billion in 2005, up from US$1 billion in the late 1990s.
At the recent Gastech 2006 expo held in Abu Dhabi, GE Oil & Gas representatives highlighted the company's work in the region to help upgrade the area's energy efficiency and production capabilities, particularly in the liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas and petrochemical sectors.
"We are honored to support the continued leading role that the Middle East plays in fulfilling much of the world's global energy requirements," said Mohammad Ayoub, Middle East Regional General Manager for GE Oil & Gas. "The oil and gas industry is expected to play a key role in a balanced global energy portfolio for decades to come, and it is our job to help the industry meet its evolving energy and environmental commitments."
GE Oil & Gas has numerous projects in the Middle East --- including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar --- that are models of GE's work to support the region's energy infrastructure development. Both areas are undergoing rapid transformation as they strive to diversify their oil-based economies, driving their immediate demand for power and water.
In Abu Dhabi, GE Oil & Gas is upgrading gas turbines and compressors at the Asab Gas Development (AGD) gas re-injection plant to increase the processing and production capabilities of the facility, which is owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). GE is also supplying eight compressors and a steam turbine power generation set for the expansion of the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) condensate refinery at Jebel Ali, near Dubai in the UAE.
In Qatar, GE Oil & Gas is building equipment for what will be the world's largest LNG facility. The facility is scheduled to begin commercial operation in 2007. In Oman, GE Oil & Gas was recently awarded two separate contracts to supply centrifugal compressors for two Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) projects, one in the Saih Rawl gas field of Central Oman, and the other in the Harweel oil field of South Oman.
In April 2006, GE Oil & Gas announced it would supply 12 fixed bed reactors for a new refinery project planned by the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) in Al Zour, Kuwait. When completed in 2010, the new greenfield facility --- designed for Kuwait Heavy Crude/Kuwait Export Crude oil processing --- will be the largest refinery in the Middle East, with a capacity to process 615,000 barrels per day of Kuwait export crude oil.
In Saudi Arabia, GE Oil & Gas is supplying 12 mechanical drive packages to Saudi Aramco for the Southern Area Seawater Capacity Expansion Project in the Ghawar and Khurais oil fields.
With these and other projects, GE Oil & Gas is offering across-the -board improvements in the environmental performance of its oil and gas technology to help customers address global climate change concerns. This includes the BCL series of centrifugal compressors developed for sour gas re-injection to enhance petroleum production, which has received GE's ecomagination certification. Ecomagination is GE's company wide commitment to address global challenges such as the need for cleaner, more efficient sources of energy and reduced emissions.
GE also has formed close business partnerships with local companies in the region to further extend its market presence, including through its Abu Dhabi-based Gulf Turbine Services (GTS) joint venture with GAMCO, which offers a broad range of compressor and turbine services, along with access to worldwide resources to meet regional customers' specific needs.
GE's joint-venture Middle East Engineering Ltd. Saudi Arabia (MEELSA) Service Center in Dammam, Saudi Arabia is one of GE's key turbine service workshops in the Middle East. In the future, the facility is expected to expand its to services to non-GE equipment as well, further enhancing its role in the region's energy sector.
In Qatar, GE Oil & Gas recently established an authorized service center in Ras Laffan to support the maintenance of GE's gas turbines and compressors installed in Qatar. The new facility also serves as a "center of excellence" for GE service activities across the Middle East.
GE Oil & Gas' major products include gas turbines --- in the 5-to-125 megawatt (MW) range --- to drive compressors, pumps and power generation plants; steam turbines in the 3-to-100 MW range for drive applications in refineries and petrochemical plants; centrifugal compressors for a broad range of chemical and petrochemical applications; and reciprocating gas compressors for oil and gas production and transportation.
GE Oil & Gas' services include equipment installation, commission, maintenance and repair, contractual service agreements, product upgrades, as well as oil and gas pipeline inspection, mapping and integrity services.
GE's Oil & Gas business is a world leader in advanced technology turbomachinery products and services, with engineering and manufacturing centers of excellence throughout Europe and the United States. Based in Florence, Italy, the company offers complete solutions for production, LNG, transportation, storage, refineries, petrochemicals and distribution systems, as well as pipeline integrity solutions including analysis and pipeline asset management.
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