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Confronting the World’s Water Challenges, GE Offers Technology Leadership for a Sustainable Future GE Executives to Discuss Global Solutions During Singapore International Water Week

Date

29 Jun 2010

Sections

Energy

SINGAPORE—June 25, 2010—The planet is facing significant water-related challenges. Within 10 years,water demand is expected to exceed supply by 470 trillion gallons, and the United Nations predicts that two-thirds of the world's population will face water scarcity issues by 2025. At the upcoming Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), GE (NYSE: GE) will showcase its diverse product portfolio designed to help solve problems relating to global water scarcity and availability.

To avoid a full-scale global water crisis, the world must reduce demand and increase supply.
During SIWW, several GE executives will discuss global water challenges and solutions, including Steve Bolze, president and CEO of Power & Water for GE Energy, who will participate in a roundtable discussion on “Sound Financing Strategies and Affordability of Water.” Bolze will address the significant water-related challenges the world is facing and the implications of industrial growth on the demand and supply of power and water, two essential resources that are strongly interdependent.

He will discuss how adopting water reuse and advanced wastewater treatment practices can help create a sustainable water supply for the future while allowing continued economic development.

Heiner Markhoff, president and CEO—water and process technologies for GE Power & Water, will participate in a roundtable about water challenges in the Middle East and North Africa. He will discuss opportunities for the water industry in the region, including a growing interest in wastewater treatment as well as a continuing focus on desalination projects. Markhoff will review various technology options, including advanced membrane treatment for municipal and industrial wastewater, which can play a key role in helping to solve the region’s water challenges.

Steve Watzeck, strategy development leader and chief marketing officer—water and process technologies for GE Power & Water, will participate in a roundtable about Southeast Asia. Watzeck will discuss prospects for growth in Asia, where decreasing availability, deteriorating quality and increasing pollution of water supplies are expected to fuel a drive toward green technologies.

In July, GE will be releasing a white paper entitled “Creating Effective Incentives for Water Reuse and Recycling” that will provide examples of the most impactful policies that governments around the world have already implemented to promote water reuse.

Storm Water Reclamation: New U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines will require construction site owners and operators to focus on controlling erosion and sediment to prevent pollutants in discharges from their sites. GE is developing a new solution for its construction industry customers.

Trace Mercury Removal: The EPA is looking at potential limits for mercury in wastewater effluent in the Great Lakes region of the United States. GE’s technology developments focused on these potential regulatory changes are nearly complete, and results are promising. GE has reported the reduction of mercury to single digit parts per trillion—setting a new industry record.

InnovOx: This new technology will make it easier to analyze difficult industrial water samples.
Expanding GE’s capabilities for process, environmental and wastewater analysis, the Sievers InnovOx On-Line Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Analyzer will allow users to analyze challenging water samples on a routine basis without requiring excessive preventive maintenance.

Re-PAK/Propak: Being launched at the show, the Re-PAK series brings together GE’s
ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO) systems. This integrated approach helps reducecapital, installation and operating expenses while providing quality water for reuse with highly variable secondary effluent wastewater or surface water feed.
Also featured in the booth will be Propak, which is ideal for facilities using boilers—i.e. for power generation—and those interested in removing dissolved solids from water. Propak helps users address challenges faced with surface water variation and footprint-constrained sites.

Dust Control: GE’s dust control programs help producers provide safe working conditions,meet environmental standards, keep communities clean, reduce maintenance costs and reduce losses of valuable raw material and product.

Advanced Cooling Solutions: Trouble-free cooling water is critical to the reliable operation of customers’ plants. GE's cooling solutions help to protect assets in highly stressed and changing operating environments by improving performance at a lower total cost of operation, optimizing chemical usage without jeopardizing safety and reducing water usage.
With operations in 130 countries, GE’s water business is committed to protecting the world’s natural resources and providing technology solutions to help customers overcome issues related to water scarcity and availability, the rising cost of energy and new, more stringent environmental regulations.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, health care solutions and television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.
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 $37 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.

For more information, contact:

Frank Farnel                           
Communication and Public Affair Manager Europe         
GE Energy                           
+33 6 18422067                       
frank.farnel@ge.com