13 December 2011, Sweetcrude PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA — GE Energy (NYSE:GE) hosted a delegation of Nigerian government representatives at its Port Harcourt services facility in Nigeria early December to showcase the company’s continued local investments that are supporting the region’s energy sector and economy.
The delegation was led by Mr. James Olotu, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Niger Delta Power Holding Co. (NDPHC) and also included representatives from the Office of the Vice President of Nigeria, and the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
GE’s Port Harcourt facility is home to the GE Oil & Gas global services center that offers inspection and staging for onshore and offshore equipment, including compressors and pumps. The site also is home to the company’s Power Generation Services center that handles the repair of components for heavy duty gas turbines. The facility also serves as a Level II modular (assembly and disassembly) repair facility for GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines, which are growing in popularity as industrial customers seek to install new distributed energy (onsite power) technologies to improve local energy reliability throughout the continent.
Since GE opened the Port Harcourt facility in 2009, the company has invested more than $1 million in expanding and upgrading the site to keep pace with West Africa’s energy sector’s demands for new advanced technology and services while also complying with Nigeria’s local content law to promote local economic growth and employment.
“Nigeria’s National Integrated Power Project is pleased to witness firsthand GE’s continued commitment to Nigeria’s power sector. The company’s investment at its Port Harcourt facility will provide expanded maintenance capabilities for our new gas turbine fleet. We look forward to continued collaboration with GE in helping meet Nigeria’s power needs,” said Mr. James Olotu, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Niger Delta Power Holding Co.
“GE’s ongoing expansion of its Port Harcourt facility illustrates the company’s commitment to invest in Nigeria and the African continent,” said Jay Wileman, President of Sub-Saharan Africa for GE Energy. “The facility is essential to our strategy to bring our business closer to our key customers in the oil and gas and power generation sectors while also supporting the local economies of regions where GE operates.”
As part of the program, GE’s service technicians led the delegation on a tour of the facility. These service technicians are Nigerian nationals who have undergone technical training in France, India and the United States as part of GE’s ongoing investment and commitment to enhance local employment and technical development of its employees.
In addition to providing essential technology and services to its customers in the West African energy sector, Port Harcourt is also home to GE’s training center, which provides valuable employment and training opportunities for GE employees and customers of Nigeria and other countries in the region.
About GE in Nigeria
GE has a proud history of partnering in Africa’s growth that spans over 100 years. Our roots are firmly entrenched in the communities we work in. Our business activities are shaped and influenced by the opportunities and challenges encountered through our partnerships with governments in Africa so that together we can develop sustainable infrastructure and economic capacity.
GE recently signed a first of its kind “Company to Country” agreement which contributes to strengthening our relationship. We are ready to partner with Nigeria for the next chapter of its growth towards vision 2020, and plan to do that by building sustainable partnerships, knowledge transfer, providing cutting edge solutions and being a responsible citizen. GE’s diverse technologies in aviation, energy, healthcare, energy and transportation are able to help Nigeria’s developing economy.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide.
