APRIL 3, 2013 — GE's Power Conversion business (NYSE: GE) has won contracts valued at more than $600 million to provide propulsion systems for customers involved with the pre-salt oilfield expansion off Brazil's east coast.

GE is in the process of building systems for 22 of the 29 drillships for the current phase of the Brazilian oil and gas exploration by Brazilian energy corporation Petrobras.

Drillships being built at shipyards such as Ecovix-Engevix's Estaleiros Rio Grande will feature systems from GE Power Conversion

The four most important contracts won by GE in recent months related to the pre-salt are:

Seven "Espadon 200" drillships to be built by Estaleiro Atlântico Sul (EAS) in Ipojuca, northeast Brazil will be supplied with electrical power generation, propulsion, drilling drives. DP and control systems from GE.

Ecovix-Engevix will use integrated electric power and propulsion, drilling drives, DP and controls packages from GE for three new GustoMSC PRD 12000 ultra-deepwater drillships it is building in Rio Grande, in the south of the country.

Enseada do Paraguaçu Shipyard will use a comprehensively integrated package of electric power, propulsion, drilling drives, DP and control systems from GE for six new ultra-deepwater drilling ships (also GustoMSC PRD 12000 design) it is building in Maragogipe, northeast Brazil.

Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd will use GE's thruster power, propulsion and drilling drive technology for six new, semisubmersible drilling rigs.