General Electric transfers Hydro headquarters to the interior of SP
Folha de S. Paulo - 12/14/2007
GE (General Electric) do Brasil Ltda. announced yesterday the transference of the global headquarters of the Hydro division to the interior of São Paulo - Campinas (95 km away from SP) and Araraquara (273 km). The company already has had offices in Campinas and Araraquara since 1998, in partnership with Inepar, a company that operates in the generation, transmission, and distribution of energy, oil and gas. The Hydro division, together with Inepar, produces turbines and generators for hydroelectric plants in Brazil and in South America. GE Hydro/Inepar has also announced investments in expansion and in the hiring of employees in the offices of Campinas and Araraquara. The purpose of the group is to meet part of the international demand. A hydraulic lab will be installed in Araraquara to research hydroelectric power generators that cause less environmental impacts. The purpose is to enter into partnerships with universities and technology centers. According to José Malta, GE Hydro do Brasil's CEO, the company will invest R$ 249.6 million (US$ 140 million) and will hire 300 employees. The group intends to become the largest factory of turbines and generators of Latin America, with capacity for machining a thousand tons of steel a month. According to Malta, GE Energy - a division of GE - has decided to transfer the division from the USA to the interior of São Paulo because, among other factors, hydroelectric energy represents nearly 85% of the capacity of generation of electricity in Brazil.