Re Contract

ABB Ltd
19 December 2002


ABB wins US$ 30 million order to provide power for aluminum smelter in Canada

New technology will help company double production



Zurich, Switzerland, December 19, 2002 - ABB, the leading power and automation
technology group, said today it has won an order for more than US$ 30 million
from Aluminerie Alouette, Canada, to provide the power supply system for an
aluminum smelter in the province of Quebec.



'This order reflects our customer's confidence in the quality of products and
services we have delivered to them over a number of years,' said Dinesh Paliwal,
head of ABB's Automation Technologies division. 'Long-term technology
partnerships provide the basis for unique solutions - in this case, our
automation and power technologies will help Aluminerie Alouette more than double
its production capacity.'



ABB has been contracted to design, supply, install and commission the electrical
power supply system at the plant. ABB will also provide an extension of the
161kV GIS (gas insulated switchgear), high-voltage cables, regulating and
rectifier transformers and a production and control system.



Aluminerie Alouette is expanding its existing aluminum plant, located near the
estuary of the St. Lawrence River, and expects output to rise from 243,000 to
550,000 tonnes per year. Construction work on the site is due to begin early
next year and production is scheduled to start in 2005.



Aluminerie Alouette is owned by an international consortium, led by Alcan of
Canada.



ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and
industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact.
The ABB Group of companies operates in more than 100 countries and employs about
146,000 people.


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange