GE Energy announced today that it will establish a European Cleaner Coal "center of excellence" in Warsaw, Poland.

According to John Krenicki, GE Energy President and CEO, the new center will provide GE with a base for expanding the use of its state-of-the-art cleaner coal, or IGCC (integrated gasification combined-cycle), technology across Europe. The facility also will provide engineering support for GE Energy’s environmental services and optimization and controls businesses, to supply the region with a broad range of offerings for the coal industry.

"Because of its vast coal reserves, exceptional pool of engineering talent and its growing energy requirements, Poland is a natural location for this center," Krenicki said. "The establishment of this facility is a milestone for us in the region and will produce significant, strategic benefits both for GE and for Poland."

"The technologies that GE will advance in this new center will be essential not only in helping Poland meet its energy challenges, but in meeting the energy challenges across the broader European Union as well," Krenicki stated.

Poland is among the world’s leading producers and consumers of coal, with recoverable reserves of hard coal (bituminous and sub-bituminous) estimated at 41 billion tons.

GE’s IGCC technology converts coal into a cleaner burning fuel, which is used in a gas turbine combined-cycle system to generate electricity. "Cleaner coal" IGCC is a product of ecomagination, a GE corporate-wide initiative to address challenges such as the need for cleaner, more efficient sources of energy, reduced emissions and abundant sources of clean water.

GE Energy will look to build on the success and the experience of GE’s aviation engineering design center in Warsaw and plans to co-locate its cleaner coal engineers in the same facility. The cleaner coal center is expected to begin operations in the next 60 to 90 days.

Since 1992, GE has been among the leading multinational companies operating in Poland. Today, all of GE’s businesses are represented in the country, employing approximately 5,000 people.

About GE Energy

GE Energy is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies, with 2005 revenue of $16.5 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 initiatie to aggressively bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet pressing environmental challenges.