GE gives more power to Energy unit in Atlanta

"(GE Energy) is getting bigger because it's a key growth area of the company," he said.

The move transfers – on paper only – 11,000 jobs from the company’s former Consumer and Industrial division to GE Energy, spokeswoman Kim Freeman told the AJC.

“This is just a reorganization within the business; there’s no production moving,” she told the AJC.

The electrical operations side had fallen under GE's Consumer and Industrial division, based in Louisville. As part of the company's realignment, Louisville will remain home to GE’s Home and Business Solutions unit, which includes all of the company’s appliances, lighting and security operations, Freeman said.

This will allow the company to better focus on new energy-efficient lights and appliances, she said.

GE’s corporate headquarters is in Fairfield, Conn. Atlanta, however, is home to two of GE's largest units.

Besides GE Energy, which brought in $29.3 billion in revenue in 2008, Atlanta is the headquarters of GE's Technology Infrastructure unit, which includes medical equipment and services.

That 117,000-employee division brings in $46 billion in revenue, making it larger than all Georgia-based companies except for Home Depot and UPS.

GE owns the struggling GE Capital lending unit. The company also is waiting for regulatory approval to sell its majority stake of NBC Universal to Comcast, forming a joint venture.