Re Contract

ABB Ltd
24 September 2001

  
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For your business and technology editors

ABB wins US$ 44 million order to upgrade Chicago power grid

US utility Commonwealth Edison using ABB technology to improve capacity and 
reliability of supply to Chicago business district

  
  
Zurich, Switzerland, September 24, 2001 - ABB, the global power and automation 
technology group, announced today that it has won a US$ 44 million turnkey order
from Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), one of the largest electric utilities in the 
United States, to build a new substation to meet growing demand for power in 
downtown Chicago. 

'We have been working in partnership with ComEd to define a five year plan for 
changes to Chicago's power grid to ensure reliability of supply and competitive 
service delivery,' said Richard Siudek, executive vice president and head of 
ABB's Utilities division. 'This order is part of that plan and developed from 
our initial work in 1999 with ComEd to combat extensive power outages in the 
Chicago central business district. Our partnership with ComEd provides them with
repeatable solutions and processes for urban substation projects that result in 
substantial cost and time savings.'

According to the terms of the agreement, ABB's scope of supply includes 
conceptual design, civil engineering, equipment supply, installation and 
commissioning of the De Koven substation, which is scheduled for completion and 
start-up in May 2002.

Following outages in the summer of 1999, ABB engineers used advanced grid 
modelling and simulation techniques to help ComEd design a network capable of 
re-routing power around any disturbances that might occur in the grid. This 
included the fast-track provision of one new substation and major expansions at 
four others. 

'This project, coupled with our track record in providing competitive solutions,
reflects the enormous opportunities for ABB as deregulation and infrastructure 
renewal continue in the United States,' continued Siudek. 
 
ABB (www.abb.com) is a global leader in power and automation technologies that 
enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while 
lowering their environmental impact. ABB has 160,000 employees in more than 100 
countries.