GE and Transnet Celebrate Introduction of First AC Diesel-Electric Locomotives to South Africa

Three GE locomotives do the work of four older locomotives, saving 600,000 liters of fuel a year and lowering emissions
ERIE, Pa. & PRETORIA, South Africa - Monday, February 21st 2011 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- During a trackside ceremony today outside Pretoria GE South African Technologies (GESAT), GE Transportation’s entity in South Africa, and Transnet Limited celebrated the introduction of the first two of 100 new GE locomotives for South Africa.

“GE is honored to participate in this historic event as we mark the arrival of the first two GE locomotives to South Africa,” said Lorenzo Simonelli, President and CEO of GE Transportation. “These locomotives herald great opportunities for Transnet and South Africa as well as GE. Transnet will be able to significantly improve hauling capability while reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Our partnership also is a significant investment in job development, economic advancement and infrastructure growth on both sides of the Atlantic.”

“We are pleased to partner with GE as we improve our operational efficiencies and contributing to economic growth in South Africa,” said Mafika Mkwanazi, Chairman of Transnet Limited. “GE is a global technology leader in the rail industry. GE and Transnet will work hand in hand to build manufacturing capacity and expertise for a better tomorrow in South Africa.”

Milestone Achievement

In December 2009 GE announced a landmark contract with Transnet Limited to supply Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) with 100 GE Model C30ACi locomotives. TFR is South Africa's state-owned rail freight logistics utility; Transnet Limited is its parent company.

According to the contract, ten of the locomotives will be manufactured in Erie and Grove City, USA and 90 will be assembled locally at Transnet Rail Engineering’s site in South Africa with kits provided by GE Transportation. In accordance with the agreement, the locomotives introduced today represent the first units shipped from Erie, Pennsylvania.

The remaining eight locomotives built in Erie are scheduled to ship in within the next few months.

The first four of 90 locomotive kits from Erie and engines from Grove City for assembly in country also were shipped along with the first two locomotives built in Erie.

The first locomotives to be assembled locally are now in process and scheduled to enter revenue service in the third quarter of 2011. The remaining assembly kits for local production will ship in batches between now and 2012. All 100 locomotives are planned to be in revenue service by the first quarter of 2013.

GE’s Model C30ACi Locomotive Technology Advantage

GE’s Model C30ACi Locomotive is a product of ecomaginationSM. Ecomagination is a GE-wide initiative to help meet customer demand for more energy-efficient products. The locomotives will enable customers to haul the same amount of freight with fewer locomotives thereby reducing fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions.

GE's C30ACi also will be the first locomotive in the South African region to meet stringent UIC2 emissions standards. With GE's C30ACi locomotives a South African customer can deploy three C30ACi models to haul a load that would require four older locomotives, reducing annual diesel fuel consumption by approximately 600,000 liters under typical operating conditions. It can reduce emissions by 1,500 metric tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to eliminating the emissions from 310 cars on South African roads.

GE’s Model C30ACi is first AC diesel-electric locomotive to be introduced to sub-Saharan Africa. Its engine delivers 3,300 Gross Horse Power (GHP) using an electronic fuel injection system that automatically supplies the exact amount of fuel needed for optimal engine efficiency. The locomotives also feature GE’s unique AC propulsion technology and dynamic braking. The addition of these new locomotives, which will be used to haul freight and coal, will decrease life-cycle costs, improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

GE Transportation in South Africa

A trusted partner and supplier to the rail and mining industries in South Africa, GE Transportation has an installed base of some 1,200 GE locomotives in Africa including approximately 900 in South Africa.

In 2008 GE Transportation signed an agreement with one of South Africa’s foremost Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) companies, Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC), to establish the subsidiary GE South Africa Technologies (Pty) Limited (GESAT), allowing the company to more actively participate in South Africa's social and economic transformation in the rail industry.

GE Transportation also took South Africa’s Western Cape Orex line to the next level with the longest production train in the world, made possible through GE’s LOCOTROL® technology.

This distributed power system - a first in South Africa - allows longer, safer trains on the critical Western Cape Saldanha Bay iron ore export line. Orex is the only heavy-haul iron-ore railway line in South Africa and the second-longest iron-ore railway line in the world at some 861 kilometers. It feeds the port of Saldanha Bay, for export to a global market hungry for South African iron ore. Until now, the carrying capacity of the line itself has been a major barrier to increasing economy-boosting iron ore exports. GE Transportation has a long and successful history of operations and activities throughout Africa.

GE Transportation is committed to delivering world-class transportation, infrastructure development, and technology solutions – a key prerequisite for sustainable economic growth. GE Transportation has a presence on the African continent with locomotive sales in Nigeria and Egypt.

About GE Transportation

Established more than 100 years ago, GE Transportation, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is a global technology leader and supplier to the railroad, marine, drilling, mining and wind power industries. GE Transportation provides freight and passenger locomotives, signaling and communications systems, information technology solutions, marine engines, motorized drive systems for mining trucks and drills, high-quality replacement parts and value added services. GE Transportation is headquartered in Erie, Penn., and employs approximately 9,000 employees worldwide. For more information visit: www.getransportation.com.
Contacts

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