THE ENERGY TO CHANGE THE WORLD

In many ways, 2022 was a year of new beginnings. It has not been all smooth sailing. Anyone following the news will have heard of escalating political tensions, inflation, natural disasters, and other concerns. But there was also a sense of hope and achievement. We saw people from around the world come together to address the global threat posed by coronavirus, restrictions related to the pandemic gradually ease away with the rollout of effective vaccines, and the world open up again. There was excitement over reconnecting, in person, with family, friends, and colleagues. Personally, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet colleagues, customers, partners, and others across Europe, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa (EMEA). With each interaction, I could not be more thankful for the GE Gas Power team and their energy to change the world.

Most people in the communities we serve may never get to meet or hear from this extraordinary group of people – but they will see and feel the impact of the work that they do every day. Whether they are driving down a street lit up in the evening, switching on the coffee machine, turning on life-saving healthcare equipment, charging their cell phones, or doing one of the thousands of other actions that make up our days – energy is fundamental to how we live our lives. As we draw to the close of the year, I’d like to share just some of the ways in which we are delivering the energy that people depend on, driving growth and prosperity.

Powering Communities - Reliably

The world does not just need lower-carbon power; we need sufficient energy supplies that are secure in the face of major disruptions, and to solve for the trilemma of providing more reliable, affordable, and sustainable power, while global demand for #electricity continues to increase. In this context, access to dependable, flexible gas power, enables greater investments in #RenewableEnergy without the fear of an interruption in electricity supplies, by providing capacity that can be ramped up or down quickly regardless of the time of day, season, or weather.

For example, in Ireland, which has a target to supply up to 80% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, we plan to provide six GE LM2500XPRESS aeroderivative gas turbines. They are anticipated to deliver backup power for the next three years’ winter seasons (2023-26) and to help stabilize the grid as the country’s energy demand continues to rise and the share of more variable renewable energy increases.

We also continue to invest in our H-class gas turbine technology, which has set two world records for combined cycle efficiency, and offers industry-leading flexibility with full combined-cycle plant load in less than 30 minutes, making it a great complement to intermittent renewable sources. This is the world's fastest-growing fleet in its class with more than 130 gas turbines ordered by over 50 customers, across more than 20 countries. Earlier this year, we marked the rollout of the 40th 9HA unit from our factory in Belfort, France to a power plant in Japan.

Enabling A Lower-Carbon Energy Future

We are implementing and exploring ways to reduce carbon emissions on a gram per kilowatt hour (KWh) basis, from the existing installed base of gas power generation assets as well. A recent Performance Improvement Package (PIP) upgrade on a GE 6B gas turbine in Nigeria helped increase overall plant output by over 10 megawatts (MW), boosting efficiency, and leading to other benefits such as lower maintenance costs. Upgrade solutions that are available today can simultaneously increase the efficiency, output, flexibility, and availability of gas turbines, while reducing fuel consumption per KWh of electricity generated.

In Egypt, we collaborated with the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company (EEHC), Hassan Allam Holding , and PGESCO to safely and successfully run a GE LM6000 unit on hydrogen-blended fuel for the first time in Africa. A proof of concept, the project illustrates that it is, in fact, possible to generate lower carbon, reliable, on demand power by burning hydrogen-blended fuels in gas turbines. Learnings from this experience will be studied and shared by EPRI , through the Low-Carbon Resources Initiative (LCRI) to inform future hydrogen blending power projects around the world. ?

Our teams are also at work innovating the next generation of solutions to enable the transition to a lower-carbon energy future. In May this year, we launched the GE Middle East & North Africa Decarbonization Center of Excellence at the GE Manufacturing & Technology Center (GEMTEC) campus in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. It represents an evolution of the work we have been doing at the GEMTEC campus, at what was previously the Hot & Harsh Research & Development (H&H R&D) Center. At the H&H R&D Center, we developed solutions specifically meant to address the challenges faced by power plant owners and operators in sandy, desert environments with high temperatures. Now, as the region and the world turn their focus towards addressing the climate challenge, we launched the next chapter of our work here, with a focus on complementary solutions that support the acceleration to a cleaner energy future.

Diversity in Action

We are not just talking about diversity – we are driving it on the frontlines and leveraging it to power the world. Take for example, the first female-led outage in Saudi Arabia by FieldCore , GE’s field services maintenance teams. A proud moment that came about from a strong belief in the power of diversity, years of investing in the Kingdom, setting a clear vision, and working towards it.

We are also actively nurturing the next generation of diverse talent that will shape the future of energy. This year, we planned and launched internships for diverse students across EMEA, with the intent to build a viable pipeline for entry level and other leadership programs.

I could not be prouder of these and the many other accomplishments of our team and am excited to see what we will achieve together in the years ahead.

I invite you to share how you’re making a positive difference, big or small, and wish everyone everywhere lasting peace, good health, and much joy in 2023!?