ABB Wins US $14-Million Contract to Upgrade Irish Power Network; Ongoing Project Part of Strategic Plan to Make Ireland a Hub for eCommerce.

Business Editors

ZURICH, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 21, 2001

ABB said today it has won a contract this year worth approximately US $14-million to expand and upgrade the power network in and around Dublin, Ireland. The ongoing project is part of Ireland's infrastructure development plan, and is aimed at making the country a European hub for eBusiness and other emerging industries.

An initial order for four substations was placed by Ireland's national utility, the Electricity Supply Board (ESB). In partnership with ESB, ABB will begin upgrading the network of 110-kilovolt (kV) and 20-kV substations in the Dublin area.

"Our expertise in both equipment, monitoring and control systems for power grids, combined with our experience in deregulating markets around the world, allows us to deliver highly reliable solutions to make utilities more competitive," said Richard Siudek, the executive vice president and head of ABB's Utilities division. "We expect demand for reliable power to continue to grow, driven not only by deregulation but also by the needs of expanding eBusiness infrastructure."

During the past decade, high-tech industries have flocked to Ireland, drawn by an investment- and technology-friendly business climate, broadband Internet access and a large pool of skilled high-tech labor. In addition to supporting the next phase of power infrastructure development in Ireland, ESB is also adapting to deregulation of the Irish power industry, where power reliability and cost-effectiveness are key to competitive success.

ABB will build its most advanced network sensor and control technologies into the substation upgrade project, and help ESB achieve those goals.

ABB (www.abb.com) serves manufacturing, process and consumer industries, utilities, and the oil and gas sector, with 160,000 employees in more than 100 countries.