KOWEPO Project to Use Cleaner Coal Technology to Produce 300 Megawatts Supports South Korea's Push for more Renewable Energy -- GE Scope Includes Turbines, Power Island Controls

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA—January 10, 2012—GE (NYSE: GE) technology has been selected by Korea Western Power Co. (KOWEPO) for the first integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) power plant to be built in South Korea and one of the first in Asia. The 300-megawatt "cleaner coal" facility will help the South Korean government meet its low carbon emissions targets, while bolstering the country's electricity supply.

GE will supply a 7F Syngas Turbine, a D11 steam turbine, a heat recovery steam generator and a cyber security-featured Mark* VIe integrated control system (ICS) that will run the power island control system for the new plant. GE also will provide 10 years of maintenance services for the facility, located 20 kilometers northwest of the city of Taean-Eub and about 100 kilometers south of Seoul.

The Taean IGCC project is the first commercial gasification combined-cycle plant to be developed under South Korea's Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS). The government has provided research and development funding for the gasification process.

"The South Korean government is mindful of the need to reduce the country's carbon footprint while ensuring security of energy supply. Through the application of GE technology, we will be able to use coal, the most abundant source of primary energy, in a more environmentally friendly manner," said Mr. Kyong-Il Ohm, general manager of the mechanical engineering and procurement team for KOWEPO. "We believe that GE's 7F Syngas Turbine and engineering solution offer the best fit for this IGCC project, providing high efficiency, fuel diversity, operating flexibility and low maintenance costs."

Specifically designed for IGCC applications, GE's 7F Syngas Turbine operates on cleaner burning syngas fuel produced from coal. For the Taean plant, the turbine will operate on syngas produced from the gasification of low BTU coal. Key equipment for the project will be shipped during the first half of 2014, with the plant's commercial operation to start in late 2015.

GE is a pioneer in the development of syngas turbine technology and has provided syngas-capable gas turbines for several milestone IGCC projects, including the pilot Coolwater IGCC plant in Barstow, Calif., and Tampa Electric's 250-megawatt Polk Power Station in Florida. Turbines for the South Korea plant use the same technology as the turbines to be used in one of the largest IGCC plants in the world, which is slated to be commissioned in 2012.

To date, GE's Heavy Duty Gas Turbines have accumulated more than 1.3 million operating hours on syngas, including 400,000 operating hours on F-class gas turbines. GE's syngas turbines are an enabling technology for IGCC, which allows for the efficient production of electricity via the conversion of coal to gas, in a process that removes pollutants from the gas.

"GE's syngas turbine technology underscores our company's commitment to powering the world with cleaner energy products," said Bill Horie, region sales leader for GE Energy. "It supports a role for coal, an abundant and cost-effective fuel source, in a cleaner energy economy. We are very pleased that our technology has been selected by KOWEPO for this milestone project, which will demonstrate the important role IGCC can play in Asia's energy future."

The scope of GE's contract for the Taean project includes power island control, which will be handled by a GE Mark Vle ICS that interfaces with the gasification and air separation units. Key features of the system will include vibration monitoring for the power island as well as interface with the entire plant vibration monitoring package; performance monitoring of the power island only; cyber security features for the GE Mark Vle ICS; interface with a centralized power generation management system consisting of multiple South Korean power plants; and a master clock for total plant time synchronization, including the gasification and air separation units.

The Taean project builds upon an already strong relationship between GE and KOWEPO. Currently, KOWEPO has 12 GE gas turbines and 18 GE steam turbines operating in combined-cycle and coal-fired power plants in South Korea.

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.