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GE Delivers Industry-Leading Level of Safety with Network Transformer

ATLANTA—July 9, 2014—Most major cities in North America today have electrical distribution networks contained under sidewalks, roadways, and inside buildings to reliably serve dense electrical loads that large, metropolitan areas require. The transformers that are used in these applications are referred to as network transformers. The nature of these installations requires the network transformers to be installed in close proximity to pedestrian and other traffic.

Because of this placement, safety is the highest priority for the underground network and specifically the network transformer. When high energy transformer events occur, which can lead to uncontained ruptures and collateral damage, utilities need to be sure that the network transformer can safely handle and dissipate that energy within the vault and away from pedestrians.

GE’s Digital Energy business (NYSE: GE) has addressed these operational and safety challenges with the introduction of its new , providing utilities with an industry-leading level of safety.

The first product of its kind in the industry, GE’s Safe-NET Network Transformer features a patented tank design that improves the strength of the transformer. According to Patrick Mathieu, engineering manager for GE’s Power Delivery business, “The Safe-NET transformer is one of the most significant advancements in technology for network transformers in the past 50 years: it is 2-3 times stronger than traditional network transformers”. Additionally, he says “This allows for most events to be contained within the tank without rupture, and in extreme events provides for a locally contained release, providing safety for nearby pedestrians.”

The rigorous testing that GE’s Safe-NET Network Transformer and its patented tank technology have been through, along with its safety features, offers operators and utilities added peace of mind. “Any time electricity is distributed, safety is on the mind. Along with reliability, service continuity and maintenance, safety is a key performance indicator of a utility’s power distribution operations,” said Alan Swade, general manager for GE’s Digital Energy Network Transformer business. “With its patented tank technology, our new Safe-NET Network Transformer helps resolve safety concerns, reducing risks for both the utility and its customers.”

Confirmed by KEMA testing, the network transformer is capable of withstanding over 11 megajoules of energy (as opposed to 4 megajoules for standard transformers), and its tank design exceeds the pressure requirements laid out in ANSI/IEEE C57.12.40 standards. The unit also has been seismic tested to meet the maximum (ground level) seismic levels expected in North America, validating that the transformers are expected to withstand the mechanical vibrations of an earthquake.

Safe-NET transformers are designed to supply power to the network bus and handle significant short-term overload. In addition, the unit’s compact and configurable design enables GE to provide one of the smallest network transformer (kilovoltamperes per cubic inch) in the industry to fit most of the smallest vault installations. The transformers’ best-in-class, corrosion-resistant paint minimizes maintenance to prevent corrosion over the long haul, increasing the life cycle of the transformer. The zinc epoxy primer and black epoxy top-coat paint utilized is superior to any other paint solution used today, passing 10,000-hour salt-spray certification tests.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ge.com.

Follow GE’s Digital Energy business on Twitter and on .

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GE Technology Helps Scottish Utility Integrate Renewable Energy and Meet Complex Grid Challenges

CHICAGO—April 16, 2014—GE’s Digital Energy business (NYSE: GE) today announced it will provide series compensation capabilities to three of SP Power Systems Limited’s (Scottish Power) facilities in southern Scotland, helping the utility meet and mitigate today’s highly complex and technical grid challenges. GE’s series compensation technology is being showcased this week at the 2014 IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Conference & Exposition in Chicago.

The utility will be installing series capacitor banks with sub-synchronous resonance (SSR) filters to its substations, increasing the reliability, efficiency and power transfer capabilities of Scottish Power’s 400-kilovolt transmission network. The updates to Scottish Power’s network will continue to allow power to flow seamlessly from northern Scotland into England. GE’s series compensation solution enables the broader initiative of the European Union’s target to integrate more than 15 percent renewable generation into their portfolio mix.

GE and Balfour Beatty Engineering Services (BBES)—a leading supplier for Scottish Power’s substation equipment—will provide installation, commissioning and maintenance of series compensation banks with SSR filters at Scottish Power’s Moffat (400-kilovolt, 560-MVAr), Gretna (400-kilovolt, 560-MVAr) and Eccles 1 and 2 (400-kilovolt, 442-MVAr each) substations. These series capacitor banks with SSR filters will provide Scottish Power, part of the Iberdrola Group, a cost-effective method to increase power transfer across its long transmission lines. Working with BBES enabled GE to fulfill and meet local requirements and standards for Scottish Power’s facilities. It also establishes a localized presence in the region that can provide long-term support and maintenance to each of the series capacitor banks as needed.

“Our priority is to provide a safe, reliable and efficient transmission network to benefit all of our customers,” said Mike Young, series compensation program manager, Scottish Power. ”We believe that GE offers the best technical solution and meets the stringent safety and environmental requirements of our project. We look forward to working closely with the GE team to deliver this project.”

The four series compensation banks installed by GE will utilize its reliable fuseless capacitor design and will include metal-oxide varistors and triggered air gaps. The scope of the project also includes detailed studies and analysis from GE’s Energy Consulting business for the design and application of the SSR filters. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

“Understanding Scottish Power’s needs for an efficient and safe transmission network, our world-renowned Energy Consulting team provided detailed system studies and analysis on SSR mitigation and filter design, equipping Scottish Power with the most economical and reliable approach to meet their requirements,” said Bob Turko, general manager, power systems, GE’s Digital Energy business. “This project reinforces our industry-leading series compensation system utilizing SSR mitigation filters, demonstrating GE’s strong technical capability and reestablishing its focus in the European sector.”

This announcement builds on GE’s deep history as a supplier of SSR mitigation solutions and filters, which dates back to the 1970s—from the Navajo station 40 years ago to the company’s most recent project with Newmont Mining.

GE’s Digital Energy business is a global leader in transmission and distribution solutions that manage and move power from the power plant to the consumer. Its products and services increase the reliability of electrical power networks and critical equipment for utility, industrial and large commercial customers. From protecting and optimizing assets such as generators, transmission lines and motors, to delivering analytic tools to help manage the power grid, GE’s Digital Energy business delivers industry-leading technologies to solve the unique challenges of each customer. For more information, visit http://www.gedigitalenergy. com/.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ge.com.

Follow GE’s Digital Energy business on Twitter @GEModernGrid.

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GE Delivers Secure Communication for Electric Utilities, Oil and Gas, Transportation and Mining

SAN ANTONIO—January 28, 2014—With increased pressure to improve the reliability and stability of their operations, utilities and industrial companies must ensure that their communication infrastructure connects all of their equipment and field personnel to gather an accurate, real-time view of their operations and asset performance, regardless of location, terrain or environment. GE (NYSE: GE) today announced a new platform of industrial wireless routers for utilities, oil and gas companies and the transportation and mining industries to allow them to easily and cost-effectively expand their communication infrastructures using a range of technologies.

The MDS™ Orbit Platform is GE’s next-generation wireless communications solution that integrates cellular, private, licensed and unlicensed networks in one device, delivering secure communication between field crews and industrial equipment and bringing valuable asset and operational data from the field to the operations center. With a variety of wireless technologies, high bandwidth and performance, low latency and advanced security options, the MDS Orbit Platform gives infrastructure operators the data they need to understand how their applications are performing in the field.

“Today’s utilities and energy-intensive industries require secure communications to operate critical assets that drive today’s global economy. Our newest platform provides security controls that can play an important part in a transmission operator’s cybersecurity compliance program and in improving their security posture,” said Tom Mueller, general manager, industrial communications for GE’s Digital Energy business. “Our new family of industrial wireless routers allows our customers to reach across broad geographies and challenging terrains to capture real-time data from their assets, support field personnel and improve the reliability of their infrastructure.”

A comprehensive security framework provides MDS Orbit Platform customers the functions and tools they need to meet current cybersecurity requirements and regulations.

The MDS Orbit Platform also includes advanced system performance features such as enabling low latency IEC 61850 Generic Object Oriented Substation Events messaging. This provides utilities with the rapid response capability required for protection and control data transfer—over a multiuse wireless network—while at the same time allowing simultaneous use of the wireless network for applications such as video and voice, which are less time critical and data intensive.

With an easy-to-use interface that reduces the complexity of provisioning, maintenance, training and support, the MDS Orbit Platform family includes:

MDS Orbit MCR 3G and 4G—Allows customers to marry private communication networks with public communication carriers through 3G and LTE technologies.
MDS Orbit Wi-Fi—Allows for workforce automation and Wi-Fi-enabled devices to securely and cost-efficiently communicate asset information.
MDS Orbit MCR 900—Delivers a private unlicensed solution for high-speed communications on distribution networks.
MDS Orbit MCR WiMAX—GE’s open standard WiMAX offering.

With -40 to +70 degrees Celsius temperature ratings and a rugged, compact design, all products in the MDS Orbit Platform are ideal for mission-critical operations and customers who operate in challenging terrains and environments.

About GE

Follow GE’s Digital Energy business on Twitter @GEModernGrid.

Federal Spending Bill Includes $50 Million Increase for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Projects

Washington, DC (January 28, 2014) – On January 17, President Obama signed into law a sweeping, bipartisan $1.1 trillion spending bill that increases funding for safe drinking water and sanitation programs in developing countries by over 20 percent. The Omnibus Appropriations bill, which includes the State and Foreign Operations budget for the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), provides an increase of $50 million for safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects, potentially providing water and sanitation to over three million people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America over the course of the coming fiscal year.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Representative Kay Granger (R-TX), and Representative Harold Rogers (R-KY) played key roles in this increase.

Senator Richard Durbin, a long-time ally of this important cause, said, "Water, sanitation, and hygiene are key to development, and I am grateful to my colleagues for their support of this important work. These funds will be well-spent in countries and communities of greatest need around the world, saving and improving millions of lives."

Patti Simon, wife of the late Senator Paul Simon, added, "This is very welcome news at a time when so many people across the globe continue to suffer from a lack of safe drinking water and sanitation, especially girls and women in Africa. My late husband Paul [Simon] would be proud of his Democratic and Republican colleagues in both chambers today."

The total of $365 million allocated in FY14 for water, sanitation, and hygiene programs reaffirms Congress’ strong bipartisan commitment to proven U.S. government programs and supports current efforts underway to pass the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2013 (HR 2901). The Act would build upon the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005, which established access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a priority of America’s foreign policy.

John Oldfield, CEO of WASH Advocates, noted, "Politics stops at water, and this is clearly one issue on which both Republicans and Democrats can agree. This additional $50 million could get safe drinking water and a toilet to 500,000 more people in developing countries. I am particularly pleased that $135 million of the $365 million total has been directed to sub-Saharan Africa. We now turn to USAID to ensure that these funds are invested in sustainable, results-focused programs across the globe."

The Water for the Poor Act has made a tangible difference in the world since 2005. As a result of USAID investments, 3.8 million people gained improved access to drinking water and 1.9 million improved access to sanitation in FY 2011 alone.

WASH is among the most efficient investments we can make in reducing poverty around the world: every $1 invested in safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene brings an estimated $4 return in reduced health care costs and increased economic productivity.

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