IEEFA Report on GE Misread the Energy Transition: A Cautionary Tale

According to a new report, investors in, once the most valuable company in the world, General Electric (GE) lost billions due to the company misjudging the pace of the global energy transition towards renewables. The report by IEEFA, ‘General Electric Misread the Energy Transition: A Cautionary Tale’, highlights GE and its primary shareholders as a case study in how rapidly the global energy transition away from fossil fuels travels up the economic chain and destroys value.

From an all-time high of US$600 billion in 2000, the total market value of GE’s outstanding shares has fallen to US$87 billion, and the company’s reputation has been severely damaged. U.S. financial markets priced in a rising probability of bankruptcy in late 2018.