Bertin Energia Acquires First GE LMS100TM Aeroderivative Gas Turbines in Brazil to Provide High Efficiency to Meet Growing Power Demand; Adds Four TM2500 Mobile Power Gas Turbines

HOUSTON, TEXAS —November 17, 2010 - Continuing a series of firsts in Latin America, GE (NYSE: GE) today announces its first contract to provide two LMS100TM aeroderivative gas turbines to meet current and future energy growth in Brazil. This contract comes on the heels of GE’s announcement last week that the company plans to invest $500 million in Brazil to build a research center and expand its operations in Latin America’s largest economy.

Bertin Energia has signed a nearly $90 million agreement to purchase two LMS100s, which can supply up to 100 megawatts (MW) of power generation each, as well as three TM2500+ and one TM2500 aeroderivative unit for the 300 MW Jose de Alencar Power Plant, sited in the municipality of Caucaia, Ceará, Northeast of Brasilia. These six new aeroderivative gas turbines will join a growing GE fleet in Brazil, which boasts the largest concentration of LM6000 aeroderivative gas turbines in the world.

“The purchase of the first LMS100s for current demand and to power future growth in Brazil is an important milestone,” said José Mata, chief executive officer of Bertin Energia, the power generation business of Bertin Group. “GE’s proven experience with the LM6000 and its commitment to developing technology to power the world made it a logical choice for selecting the LMS100.”

The Jose de Alencar Power Plant is a new plant on a Greenfield area located in Fortaleza, Ceará, which is Northeast of Brazil. This project sold energy into the Energy Auction. The plant will use GE’s LMS100 in simple cycle, powered by natural gas.

The LMS100 can be used in simple-cycle, combined heat and power and combined-cycle applications for power generation and is available for mechanical drive applications. It offers characteristics not available in other 80- to 160-megawatt class gas turbines today, including high part-power efficiency, cycling capability without increased maintenance cost, low lapse rate for hot day power and a modular design for ease of maintenance and high availability.

“Our LMS100 aeroderivative gas turbine has a high efficiency rate of 43 percent in simple cycle, which is 10 percent greater than GE’s highest efficiency gas turbine on the market today, the LM6000,” said Darryl Wilson, vice president—aeroderivative gas turbines for GE Power & Water.

“This high efficiency, combined with low maintenance costs, makes this an ideal addition to the Brazilian market,” Wilson said. “By using GE’s proven technology, Bertin Energia will be able to complement the existing energy matrix—especially in the dry season, which is currently more than 80 percent hydro—and meet increasing power demand in the future.”

A trailer-mounted version of GE's well-proven LM2500 aeroderivative gas turbine, the TM2500 is a portable power plant that was introduced by GE Energy's rentals division in 1999. Easily transported by ship, aircraft or truck, the TM2500 can be quickly installed on site. Each machine is capable of producing more than 20 megawatts of power.

The TM2500+ is the upgraded version of the TM2500, incorporating GE's lightweight LM2500 aeroderivative gas turbine with the Brush 170ER generator. GE has sold more than 2,000 LM2500 and LM2500+ units in industrial applications worldwide, making it one of the world's most experienced, reliable gas turbine solutions for temporary power applications.

Perfect for providing a base load bridge to permanent power installations or for generating backup power supporting plant shutdowns or equipment maintenance, the upgraded unit provides up to 34 megawatts—enough to power more than 12,000 average-sized U.S. households. The TM2500+ achieves full power in less than 10 minutes with 41.1 percent efficiency.

The LMS100 was introduced in 2003 and is ecomagination approved. Ecomagination is GE’s commitment to imagine and build innovative solutions to today’s environmental challenges. It is the most extensive collaboration of design and manufacturing in GE’s history. The LMS100 features 10- minute full power starts with load following capability as well as operational and fuel flexibility. In combined cycle, the efficiency can approach 54 percent. A key reason for the high efficiency is the use of off-engine intercooling technology within the compression section of the gas turbine.

This contract is the latest in a series of announcements from GE’s aeroderivative business in Brazil. On Oct. 7, GE announced that following the initial success of the world’s first use of sugarcane-based ethanol in a gas turbine system, it has received a contract from Petrobras to convert a second unit at the site to burn this alternative fuel. That same day, the company announced that it is building a US$10 million facility in Petropolis, dedicated to servicing the aeroderivative and oil and gas sectors in Latin America.

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GE serves the energy sector by developing and deploying technology that helps make efficient use of natural resources. With nearly 85,000 global employees and 2009 revenues of $40 billion, GE Energy www.ge.com/energy is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies. The businesses that comprise GE Energy—GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas—work together to provide integrated product and service solutions 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.

The LMS100TM is a trademark of the General Electric Company. All rights reserved.

For more information, contact:

Frank Farnel
GE Energy
+33 3 84 59 11 16
frank.farnel@ge.com

Laura Aresi
GE Power & Water
+39 02 67 33 56 22
laura.aresi@ge.com

Nicole Jung
Hopscotch Europe In One
+ 44 208 133 31 40
njung@hopscotch.eu