Zurich, Switzerland, March 25, 2015 - ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth $12 million from the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) of Kuwait to refurbish and upgrade three existing substations. This is to help ensure reliable power supply in the greater Kuwait City metropolitan area. The order was booked in the fourth quarter of 2014. The three transmission substations, located in Hawalli Governorate and providing power to residential and commercial areas around Kuwait Bay, require modernization in order to enhance their reliability after approximately 30 years in operation. ABB performed a thorough assessment at one of the substations that enabled MEW to select the most effective solution for modernizing the existing facilities to ensure high performance while lowering maintenance cost. ABB's project scope includes refurbishment of 132 kilovolt (kV) gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) circuit breakers, overhaul of disconnectors and earthing switches, replacement of control cables and upgrading of control panels as well as integration of the new equipment for 33 bays with the existing automation systems.The project is scheduled for completion in 2018. "ABB's retrofit solutions will extend the life of the installations, while helping to strengthen the grid and improve power reliability for consumers" said Oleg Aleinikov, head of ABB's Substations business, a part of the company's Power Systems division. "The substations will deploy our latest GIS technology with an extremely compact footprint and ideally suited for such urban applications." ABB is the world's leading supplier of air-insulated, gas-insulated and hybrid substations with voltage levels up to 1,100 kV. These substations facilitate the efficient and reliable transmission and distribution of electricity with minimum environmental impact, serving utility, industry and commercial customers as well as sectors like railways, urban transportation and renewables.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility, industry, and transport and infrastructure customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 140,000 people.

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