World's First Gas Turbine Plant in Birr Receives
International Award

Richard Pawliger, official spokesman of the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), today paid tribute to Alstom's
commitment to the industrial monument known as the GT
Neuchâtel. The Neuchâtel gas turbine is regarded
as one of Switzerland's greatest technical innovations and
received the Landmark Award from ASME in 1988. Alstom received
the award at the official opening of the museum for the
Neuchâtel gas turbine on the factory site in Birr. One of three milestones in Swiss engineering 
The award is given to milestones in industrial history. One
famous example is the invention of the gramophone by Thomas
Edison. Other than the Neuchâtel gas turbine, only the
paddle steamer Uri on Lake Lucerne and the Pilatus
rack railway have received this award in Switzerland.
Switzerland has been a center of research for
state-of-the-art power plant technology for more than a
century, said Walter Gränicher, President of ALSTOM
(Switzerland) Ltd, at the award ceremony, and Alstom
continues this tradition today. The Neuchâtel gas turbine
stands directly beside our research laboratory, spurring us on to
continue our pioneering work. Pioneering work then and now 
The Neuchâtel gas turbine was the worlds first
industrial gas turbine used exclusively for the generation of
electricity. Presented to a fascinated world audience at the
Zurich national exhibition in 1939, the plant with an output of
four megawatts served as an emergency power supply for the town
of Neuchâtel from 1939 until 2002. Alstom's current most
powerful product, the GT26, generates 288 megawatts. The gas turbine museum is open to the public 
After 63 years' reliable service, the Neuchâtel gas
turbine was decommissioned in 2002. In 2005, Alstom completely
restored it as a symbol of its pioneering spirit, re-erected it
in a museum pavilion at its factory in Birr, and opened it to the
public.
 *** Alstom is a global leader for power generation and rail
transport infrastructure. The company sets the standards for
innovative and environmentally friendly technology. Alstom is
renowned for its high-speed trains and its state-of-the-art,
fully automatic underground trains. The company also installs
turnkey integrated power plant solutions and offers a wide range
of power plant services for a comprehensive selection of energy
sources, such as hydroelectric, gas and coal. The Alstom group
employs 60,000 staff in 70 countries and achieved revenue of more
than 20 billion Swiss francs in the business year
2005/2006. ***  For press queries, contactALSTOM (Switzerland) LtdSimone RamserDirector of Communications and Press SpokeswomanTel.: +41 (0)56 205 96 00Fax: +41 (0)56 205 52 31simone.ramser@power.alstom.com   ASMEThe American Society of Mechanical Engineers was founded in
1880 to promote the continued professional development of its
members and to ensure ongoing progress in mechanical engineering.
Since 1971, the ASME has operated an industrial-cultural scheme
(the History and Heritage Landmark Program) which honors
pioneering engineering work around the world with the Historic
Mechanical Engineering Landmark award.
www.asme.org  

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