CALGARY, March 19 /CNW Telbec/ - ABB, the leading power and technology company, announced today that it has been awarded an important contract in Langdon near Calgary by AltaLink, L.P., Alberta's largest electrical transmission provider.

The contract calls for ABB to initially replace certain components at risk of failure within AltaLink's current Static Var Compensator (SVC), and during a second phase, to replace the existing unit with an entirely new ABB-designed and manufactured SVC system.

Static Var Compensators are sophisticated systems that provide the continuous reactive power required to control dynamic voltage swings which can occur under various conditions. In so doing, they serve to improve power system transmission performance. ABB completed Phase 1 of the service and supply contract for AltaLink this past December and has committed to putting the new SVC into service by November 2009.

"We recognized that our existing Static Var Compensator had reached the end of its life and that certain critical components were particularly at risk," explains George Bowden AltaLink's Vice President of Operations "A failure of this vital link in southern Alberta's transmission network could have led to a major blackout, inconveniencing thousands of Albertans and creating potentially significant financial consequences for the province's ratepayers. We needed an immediate solution and looked to ABB to help us deliver."

"We have a very positive, longstanding relationship with AltaLink, as well as a full understanding of the issues associated with the impending end of life of SVC systems," underlines Greg Farthing, ABB Canada's Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Power Products & Systems. "Thanks to this extensive knowledge and expertise, we are pleased to have been able to mobilize the necessary source supply and our engineering facilities in Sweden and Montreal. Ultimately, we came up with an innovative two-step approach in accordance with a schedule that, frankly, many thought would not be feasible."

AltaLink (www.altalink.ca), Canada's only fully independent transmission provider, is responsible for the maintenance and operation of more than 11,600 kilometres of transmission lines and approximately 260 substations in Alberta. As that province's largest supplier of safe and reliable transmission, AltaLink is moving forward to provide a transmission system that will continue to meet the growing needs of Albertans.

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 approximately 120,000 people. In Canada, ABB (www.abb.ca) employs some 2,500 people in about 40 locations from coast to coast.