U .S. Economic Envoy Welcomes GE Energy Announcement in Northern Ireland

12 May 2010

U.S. Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland, Declan Kelly, welcomed today’s announcement by GE Energy that it will create over 100 new jobs as part of an expansion of its operations in Northern Ireland.  The new positions will be primarily in advanced manufacturing, research and development, and technical support roles.

Envoy Kelly stated: “Today’s announcement by GE Energy is a resounding endorsement of Northern Ireland by one of the world’s most admired companies.  It is proof yet again that U.S.-headquartered companies are willing to invest in a significant way in Northern Ireland, and in the case of companies like GE Energy, re-invest in the region as a result of having an ongoing positive experience.

“I had the opportunity to visit with Bob Gilligan and his colleagues at GE Energy in Georgia recently on a site visit with Invest Northern Ireland and it was very clear that Bob and his team had strong confidence in Northern Ireland, its people, its infrastructure, and its future.

“Bob was also kind enough to be one of the keynote speakers at the Northern Ireland Business Briefing held in Washington D.C., the investment program our office and Invest NI put together as part of this year's St Patrick’s week celebrations.  I congratulate Minister Foster, Invest NI and GE Energy for their collaboration in bringing this project and announcement to finality and I look forward to working with them moving forward to further underline why projects like this one represent a perfect example of the opportunities that can lie ahead in Northern Ireland’s future”, he concluded.

GE Energy acquired Northern Ireland-based Kelman Ltd. in 2008 to enhance its SMART grid product portfolio.  The Northern Ireland operation is based in Lisburn and the new investment will expand existing operations, as well as create a center of excellence for the development of new monitoring products, technologies, and software tools.