Bankruptcy plan confirmed

ABB Ltd
20 December 2005


U.S. Bankruptcy Court confirms plan of reorganization for Combustion Engineering



Zurich, Switzerland, December 19, 2005 - ABB said today the U.S. Bankruptcy
Court in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has issued an order confirming the revised
plan of reorganization for Combustion Engineering (CE), an ABB subsidiary in the
U.S and recommending the affirmation of the plan to the District Court.

'We are very pleased with this decision. The court ruling is a further vital
step towards a final resolution of the asbestos issue.' said Fred Kindle, ABB
President and CEO.

The Bankruptcy Court's confirmation and recommendation for affirmation to the
District Court follows a vote by asbestos claimants, which was completed in
September 2005, in which they overwhelmingly approved the plan of
reorganization, and a confirmation hearing by the Bankruptcy Court at which all
objections to the plan were withdrawn. The parties have ten days in which to
appeal against the judge's order.

The plan's channelling injunction, which will protect ABB and its subsidiaries
against current and future claims, still has to be affirmed by the District
Court. ABB expects the District Court hearing to be held soon. If the District
Court approves the plan, there will be a 30-day appeals period. If no appeals
are lodged, the plan is final.

Under the plan, ABB has committed $1.43 billion for a trust fund for claims
against CE.

The ABB Lummus Global pre-packaged plan of reorganization, which received a 96
percent favourable vote in a pre-filing solicitation, is still pending.




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