With Saudi Arabia facing growing demand for a sustainable supply of electricity and clean water, GE Energy will highlight its commitment to proving innovative and localized technology solutions to help meet those needs at the Saudi Water & Power Forum (SWPF), to be held on Oct. 11-14 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has one of the highest electricity consumption rates per capita in the Middle East, with power demand growing at the rate of 8 percent annually. According to the Ministry of Water and Electricity, an estimated 30 gigawatts of additional generating capacity will be required by 2020. The Kingdom also faces a growing demand for water and has been investing in water and power projects, especially water treatment plants, sewage and desalination projects. To address this challenge, the Saudi government is encouraging the private sector to take the lead in establishing and managing water purification and desalination plants. “Providing reliable, efficient and sustainable power and water supply is essential for sound economic growth. Investing in advanced technologies today is vital to meeting the energy needs of the future. This is reflected in Saudi Arabia's growing public-private partnerships and investments in researching and developing technologies that support responsible energy growth.” said Joseph Anis, GE Energy's president for the Middle East. “These initiatives and commitments, combined with education about the critical issues facing the energy industry today, can go a long way toward achieving a sustainable power and water future for the Kingdom.” GE Energy is committed to providing advanced energy solutions to Kingdom and the region. The company is working closely with partners to develop tailored, cleaner, energy-efficient solutions that benefit from the region's available resources and can utilize difficult fuels, natural gas and industrial waste gases more efficiently to facilitate lower operator costs and reduce site emissions. As part of its knowledge-sharing commitment to Saudi Arabia and the region, GE is collaborating with several Saudi Arabian educational institutions, including King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, to develop academic programs that feature targeted curriculums, internships and cooperative learning experiences. GE's booth “M06” at Saudi Water and Power Forum supports the theme “Enabling the Future.” GE will showcase its broad range of energy technology solutions and services that better utilize the region's available resources, such as integrated power and water solutions, fuel-flexible turbines and integrated gasification systems. Also featured will be GE's Smart Grid solutions, which focus on improving the efficiency and reliability of existing infrastructure to save energy, reduce cost and increase the integration of renewable generation. Featuring a workforce of more than 600 employees and building on a 70-year successful heritage, GE supports major infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia by supplying power generation and water management technology solutions to help the country meet its energy and environmental goals. GE Energy is also increasing its investments in technology centers to better serve its customers in the Kingdom and the region. The 10,000 m2 GE Energy Manufacturing Technology Centre, which is due to open in Dammam in 2010 and represents an $80 million investment, will be GE's largest repair Center of Excellence worldwide and will strengthen GE's service capabilities in Saudi Arabia and the region. Designed to offer critical water, water reuse, waste-water and process solutions for the region's industrial customers, the 7,500 m² GE Saudi Water & Process Technology Center, with a nearly $10 million investment, was inaugurated in Dammam in June 2009. GE has supplied more than 400 turbines for projects across Saudi Arabia. Notable recent energy projects featuring GE's advanced power generation and water solutions include: • Saudi Electricity Company's (SEC) project expansions at Riyadh Power Plant 10 (PP10), Power Plant 9 (PP9), Power Plant 8 (PP8), Rabigh, Qurayyah and Faras. In total, these projects will add nearly eight gigawatts of power to support the region's economic and population growth. • Marafiq, the world's largest independent water and power project with the capacity to produce more than 2.7 gigawatts of power and 800,000 cubic meter/day of desalinated water, thereby integrating water and power production at a single site. • GE and Al-Tamimi “GET Water” Partnership-GE has provided a fleet of mobile water treatment systems to Al Tamimi Group for seawater and brackish water treatment, water reuse and water filtration with emergency response time of as little as 72 hours. More than 60 mobile units are currently in operation, with each unit capable of treating up to 1,500 cubic meters of water per day. • Water Reuse at International Medical Center in Jeddah-GE supplied the 300-bed facility with an advanced membrane bioreactor wastewater treatment system to treat and recycle 250 cubic meters/day of wastewater, reducing freshwater usage. The water exceeds cleanliness standards and is used for flush water in lavatory fixtures and for landscaping. Recognizing the region's growing need for fresh water, GE also will display its portfolio of energy-efficient seawater and brackish water desalination systems that can provide sustainable new sources of fresh water for municipal and industrial uses.
