Re Contract

ABB Ltd
19 September 2001



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For your business and technology editors

ABB awarded wellhead platform contract
Partnership will build and install deepwater platform off Angolan coast

Zurich, Switzerland, September 19, 2001 -ABB, the global power and automation 
technology group, in partnership with Heerema of Holland, has been awarded a 
contract by Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited (Esso) - a subsidiary of 
ExxonMobil Corporation - to design, build and commission a deepwater tension leg
platform for the Kizomba A Project located in the deepwater Block 15 offshore 
Angola.

'We are extremely pleased with this contract in West Africa, a region that is 
crucial for future oil and gas development,' says Gorm Gundersen, executive vice
president and head of ABB's oil, gas and petrochemicals division. 'Developments 
in West Africa are evolving at the limits of current industry deepwater 
technology, experience and skill. This contract underscores ABB's expertise, 
which is perfectly matched to West Africa's unique logistical challenges.'

The contract will be executed by ABB from its Houston office and will also draw 
on resources from ABB operations in Africa, Europe and Asia and key components 
will be manufactured in Angola.

Scheduled for completion in the third quarter 2003, the Kizomba tension leg 
platform will be anchored in water 1,250 meters deep. It's the next generation 
of tension leg platform (TLP) design, a four-legged concept which allows 
customers to adjust surface wellhead solutions to local conditions. It can be 
built and commissioned onshore, installed in one piece and anchored to the 
seabed using a specially designed tethering system.

The hull and topsides will be integrated in Holland, and the completed unit 
transported to Angola for final installation.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a global leader in power and automation technologies 
enabling utilities and industries to improve their performance while minimizing 
environmental impacts. ABB has 160,000 employees in more than 100 countries.