ABB Receives Multiple FACTS Orders from the Steel Industry
Flexible AC systems maintain power quality in grids and improve the capacity of steel plants
Zurich, Switzerland, April 10, 2008 - ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, announced today that it has secured five orders in the first quarter 2008, totaling some $ 25 million, to install flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) for steel plants located in Australia, Egypt, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and Turkey.
The contract in Russia, awarded for AMET (Ashinsky Metallurgical Plant) by one of the major European furnace manufacturers, is ABB's fourth order for Static Var Compensators (SVC) from the Russian steel industry in recent years.
The SVC order in Turkey contains just one TCR (Thyristor Controlled Reactor) branch, rated at a world record-breaking 330 Mvar. The contract is the latest in a long line of SVC orders awarded to ABB in Turkey over the past 25 years for the improvement of power quality and plant productivity in electric arc furnace-based steel plants.
The Australian order is from Smorgons Steel. The company is one of ABB's longest standing customers in the business and the order is to replace an ABB SVC installed in the early 1980s. In Egypt, ABB will supply an SVC to Beshay Steel. This is another repeat order, the third SVC ABB has supplied to this customer since 2003.
All of the contracts are based on ABB's SVC technology that is part of the FACTS solution portfolio. The power industry term FACTS covers a number of technologies that enhance the security, capacity and flexibility of power transmission and distribution systems, as well as improving power quality and productivity in industry.
"ABB is a worldwide leader in FACTS," said Peter Leupp, Head of ABB's Power Systems Division. "We have more than 500 installations in operation or under construction across the world and value the trust we have earned from customers in this growing market."
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 around 100 countries and employs more than 110,000 people.
For more information on this announcement, please contact:
Corporate communications:
ABB Power Systems Division
Sian Curtis
Tel: +41 43 317 6480
Fax: +41 43 317 6482
sian.curtis@ch.abb.com
Bill Rose
Manager, Media Relations
ABB Inc.
Power Products & Power Systems, North America
919.807.5743
www.abb.us
