GE expanding in PH as growth prospects improve

Multinational firm GE [General Electric] is expanding its presence in the Philippines, through affiliate GE Philippines, as it plans to ride the expected boom in the power generation and smart grid industries in the country.

GE Energy-Asia Pacific president Kenji Uenishi said the company was, in particular, planning to increase its pool of highly skilled technical engineers as it prepared to have bigger participation in the upcoming power projects, as an equipment provider to local developers and utilities.

The Philippine unit will also start carrying new energy technologies and equipment to serve the growing and increasingly complex needs of local power developers, Uenishi said in an interview with the Inquirer.

GE Philippines is bullish of posting a 20-percent yearly growth in its business over the next several years with a more active participation in the growing energy sector, Uenishi added.

Operating in more than 100 countries globally, parent company GE is an advanced technology, services and finance company dedicated to coming up with innovations in energy, heath, transportation and infrastructure.

Uenishi noted that the energy arm of GE, GE Energy Infrastructure, has a strong portfolio that could support the needs of its Philippine unit. GE Energy has the technology and equipment for oil and gas industries, power generation, renewable energy, heavy duty gas and steam turbines and industrial solutions—products and services that could support an expected economic growth by helping meet the rise in the demand for power.

Uenishi said the goal was to become the equipment provider of bulk to the upcoming power projects in the Philippines—be it for traditional coal facilities, renewable energy or even natural gas.

GE Energy’s extensive experience and expertise, he added, would also help accelerate the Philippines’ move toward smart grid solutions.