GE offers help to Japan, defends nuclear power industry

[somone]

http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=OBR&date=20110314&id=13135102

GE offers help to Japan, defends nuclear power industry
By Paul de Bendern

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The head of General Electric Co offered Japan support on Monday to deal with the country's worst ever nuclear power crisis and at the same time defended the track record of the industry. Engineers in Japan are scrambling to prevent a meltdown at three reactors after Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami forced an automatic shutdown of the units.

GE built the first reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex, operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), and with Toshiba Corp it manufactured the second.

"Clearly we are offering any kind of technical assistance to our customer TEPCO and the government of Japan as they go through the recovery efforts with the nuclear power plants," Chief Executive Jeff Immelt told reporters said. "Our first priority is to support the government and people of Japan." Immelt said GE would donate $5 million to relief efforts and extend technical support to Hitachi Ltd., Toshiba and Tokyo Electric Power, as well as the government...

When asked if the nuclear power accident in Japan could prove to be a turning point for the industry, Immelt said: "There is now almost a 50-year track record of nuclear power that people can look back on and make their own judgments about." In 2007, GE combined its nuclear ventures with Hitachi on the expectation of a nuclear renaissance in the coming years. "It's early days. Let people do exploration of what happened (in Japan) and let it take its course," he said. "We are still only 72 hours from this earthquake and tsunami. A lot is still being understood."...

[snagglepuss]

1. Jeff Immelt who Obama just picked to head a council on competitviveness

and job creation. He sure knows how to spin doesn't he.

[ret5hd]

2. Help? Technical help? Hell, why don't a few of you executives fly...

on over there and form a bucket brigade to get water on those rods?

[el_bryanto]

3. If they did that, wouldn't we just condemn it as a pathetic publicity stunt? n/t

[ret5hd]

4. Wouldn't that depend on how "dirty" (radiated) they got?

[ensho]

5. Japan would be wise not to let GE anywhere near their country

if only we could get rid of them