GE Energy Signs Contract with Chinese Iron and Steel Company for First Blast Furnace Gas Application

Business Wire, Sept 27, 2007

ATLANTA -- GE Energy has signed a multi-million dollar contract with Wuhan Iron and Steel Company, Ltd. of Wuhan, China for GE's first large-size blast furnace gas (BFG)-fired combined-cycle power generation project in China.

GE will supply two BFG-fired combined-cycle power generation units, each including one Frame 9E gas turbine, one generator and one fuel gas compressor.

BFG is created during the production of pig iron in steel mills, as a by-product of coke combustion and iron ore melt in blast furnaces. It can be recovered and used as fuel in a gas turbine combined-cycle power generation solution with higher efficiency and lower emissions compared to a traditional BFG boiler power generation system, and can generate power to be used both in the plant and sold to the public power grid.

Steel mills typically buy a great deal of power from the public grid for production each year. Implementing this BFG-fired power generation solution can help Wuhan realize significant savings compared to the cost of buying power from the public grid, and possibly realize additional benefits from CDM (clean development mechanism) trading.

"One of the greatest challenges to the steel industry around the world is effectively addressing increased emissions regulations while controlling spiraling costs. In China, requirements for the steel industry to reduce emissions and reliance on the power grid will necessitate employing new solutions," said Jack Wen, GE Energy's region executive for China. "This milestone project with Wuhan Iron and Steel will allow BFG flares to be captured with higher efficiency and lower emissions to recycle energy back into the plant."

GE Energy's 9E gas turbine technology, with its flexible fuel-handling capabilities, is a natural fit for BFG and this industrial gas application. The 9E has proven its efficiency and reliability with more than 400 units shipped, more than 14 million running hours of operation and reliability of better than 99 percent.

Delivery of the gas turbines is scheduled for late 2008 and the plant expects to begin operations in late 2009.

Wuhan Iron and Steel Company Ltd. is principally engaged in the iron and steel industry. It offers seven categories of products including hot-rolled products, cold-rolled products, silicon steel, section steel, wires, rolled plates and rods.

About GE Energy

GE Energy (www.ge.com/energy) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies, with 2006 revenue of $19 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.