General Electric and XD Electric Group have announced a partnership that combines GE’s grid automation capabilities with XD Electric’s comprehensive portfolio of high-voltage equipment.
Originally announced in May 2012, the partnership expands GE’s capabilities as a leading provider of transmission and distribution (T&D) solutions and creates a new global competitor to provide utilities and energy-intensive industries with high-voltage (HV) solutions.
“In Africa, we’re focused on grid expansion projects and greenfield network interconnections as we continue to create a modern power grid that is stable, resilient and energy efficient,” said Amen Saeed, senior product manager for GE’s Digital Energy Business (ME)/Luis Perez, general manager for EMEA, GE’s Digital Energy business (Africa).
“Adding high-voltage capabilities will help our utility customers to transmit power with minimal losses over long distances and rough terrains—from the generation point to the consumers in large cities. We’ll also continue to eliminate power islands, creating energy reserves and allowing us to more efficiently use a greater supply of energy.”
Through the partnership, GE and XD will offer end-to-end T&D solutions to meet growing demand for electricity in these emerging economies where demographic and urbanization trends are creating a need to build out the current grid infrastructure.
Today, 3.5 billion people, 50 percent of the world’s population, live in cities, and this number is expected to grow to 5 billion by 2030. This increase will require sustained electrical infrastructure investments to support water, power, energy and telecommunications systems.
The rise in global electricity demand and population growth are economic drivers leading the expansion of the $100 billion T&D industry. To prevent grid disruptions and build a strong, resilient grid, utilities will be able to expand their T&D systems with HV transformers, circuit breakers, HV breakers, gas-insulated switchgear and other HV equipment to improve reliability.
Together, GE’s and XD’s combined portfolios will provide utilities with the T&D solutions necessary to outpace these megatrends, increasing their electricity demand. GE and XD also will provide energy-intensive industries with the HV solutions necessary to meet the rapid electrification of industrial processes.
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