TAMPA, FLORIDA -November 21, 2005 : --GE Energy, one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation equipment and services, recently recognized TECO Energy for its efforts in advancing a "cleaner coal" technology - integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) - that is rapidly gaining interest from major U.S. utilities.

TECO Energy's Polk Power Station in Polk County, about 40 miles southeast of Tampa, was one of the nation's first IGCC power plants, entering service in 1996. The 260-megawatt plant produces enough power to serve 75,000 homes.

IGCC technology converts coal into a clean-burning gas, which is used in a gas turbine combined-cycle system to generate electricity. In a combined-cycle configuration, exhaust heat from a gas turbine is captured by a heat recovery steam generator and used to drive a steam turbine, producing additional power.

Ed Lowe, general manager of GE Energy's gasification business, presented a plaque citing TECO Energy's support of IGCC technology to Mark Hornick, general manager of the Polk Power Station, at a reception GE hosted during the 2005 Gasification Technologies Council conference.

"The Polk station is an icon in this industry, and Mark and his team have helped generate a great deal of interest in the site, from customers touring the plant to visits by the media," said Lowe. "The world is looking at ways to balance the energy portfolio in the context of tightening emissions regulations and increasing oil and gas prices. In this environment, IGCC continues to become more and more attractive. The technology provides a way to utilize coal, one of our most abundant and cost-effective fuel sources, for power generation in a significantly cleaner way."

Lowe noted that the energy bill recently signed by President Bush authorizes additional funding for the continued development of cleaner coal technology.

Thanking GE for the recognition, Hornick added, "We have had the opportunity to operate the Polk IGCC unit for over nine years, as an integrated part of our operating fleet, and it has achieved the lowest dispatch cost of any unit on the system. I am also proud to report that an independent study by the Energy Probe Research Foundation named Polk as the cleanest coal plant in North America."

He continued, "We hope that others in the industry will continue with the spirit of open communication regarding IGCC, and this will help to move the technology forward, ensure safety, improve operation and maintenance practices, and reduce cost for our customers."

TECO Energy was awarded $120 million from the U.S. Department of Energy for the development of the Polk Power Station, using cleaner coal technology. As part of the cooperative agreement with the DOE, TECO Energy also is concentrating on the further commercialization of the IGCC technology.

GE Energy supplied the power generation equipment for the Polk Power Station. Since that project, GE has expanded its efforts in IGCC by acquiring ChevronTexaco's gasification technology, and forming an alliance with Bechtel to develop a standardized plant design for commercial-scale IGCC plants in North America.

About GE Energy

GE Energy (www.ge.com/energy ) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technology, with 2004 revenue of $17.3 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy provides equipment, service and management solutions across the power generation, transmission and distribution, distributed power and energy rental industries.

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