Re Contract

ABB Ltd
21 January 2003

ABB to upgrade Abu Dhabi water supply system

Group wins US$ 27 million order to help increase amount of drinking water


Zurich, Switzerland, January 21, 2003 - ABB, the leading power and automation
technology group, said today it has won a US$ 27 million order to provide
electrical and control equipment for a project to increase Abu Dhabi's water
supply.

'ABB is the market leader for fully integrated electrical and automation systems
for pumping equipment in the Gulf,' said Peter Smits, head of Power Technologies
division. 'This contract demonstrates ABB's technological leadership - both in
power and automation - in the utility industry.'

Under the terms of the contract, ABB will provide electrical systems and
components for two pumping stations and a new water pipeline for Abu Dhabi Water
and Electricity Authority in the United Arab Emirates. A 250-kilometer-long
pipeline will deliver around 400 million liters of water per day from the
Shuweihat desalination plant, and help meet the emirate's growing need for
drinking water. The project is due to be completed in October 2004.

The contract package includes 33 kilovolt, 11 kilovolt and low-voltage
switchgear, power transformers, instrumentation, process automation systems,
cabling, DC and uninterruptible power supplies, as well as motors and variable
speed drives for the freshwater pumps.

ABB will also use water-cooled variable frequency drives to ensure precise speed
regulation for the freshwater pumps operating at high power and under extreme
climate conditions.  The solution is based on new semiconductor technology
developed by ABB. ABB is also engineering, installing and commissioning the
equipment.

ABB (www.abb.com) 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
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