Global Leader In Temporary Heating and Power Begins Preparations for Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
VANCOUVER (December 15, 2009) – With less than 60 days to go until the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Winter Games, Aggreko, the global leader in temporary power generation, temperature control and oil-free compressed air solutions, has dozens of technicians on the ground in Vancouver, installing and fine tuning equipment at the venues for the big event. As the Official Supplier of Temporary Power and Temperature Control Solutions, Aggreko will support BC Hydro, the primary provider of clean hydro-electric energy, by providing temporary power, heating and cooling equipment at all of the Vancouver and Whistler venues throughout the Games. These venues include: the BC Place Stadium for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies; various celebration sites; the Main Media Centre; the Whistler Broadcast and Press Centre; the Olympic and Paralympic Villages in Vancouver and Whistler; and all competition venues.
“The Olympic Games are the epitome of sporting events, with a worldwide audience in the billions,” said George Walker, President, Aggreko North America. “The elements that are Aggreko’s responsibility – designing and installing temporary power distribution, cooling and heating infrastructure – are crucial to the overall success of the event. We’ve been working with the event organizers and BC Hydro for more than a year to coordinate all of our efforts, and now it’s time to put that plan into action.”
The Vancouver Olympic Winter Games represent the largest temporary heating project in Aggreko’s history, with 90 per cent of the heating requirements used for snow-melting applications. By January, more than 2,700 pieces of Aggreko equipment will have been installed by the 85-strong Aggreko crew, including:
- 40 megawatts of electric heaters, or enough for 3,000 medium-sized homes
- A minimum of 90 megawatts of stand-by and primary generators and power distribution, enough to power 8,000 medium-sized homes
- 250 miles of cable, enough to stretch from Vancouver to Portland
Aggreko’s presence at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games requires extensive coordination and expertise. Aggreko will provide stand-by power at the International Broadcast Centre (IBC). In addition, Aggreko will provide the main power supply to the opening and closing ceremonies and medal ceremonies at BC Place. At the UBC Thunderbird Arena, which is hosting the opening round of the ice hockey competition, Aggreko is working with organizers to convert a practice rink into a temporary locker room and office space infrastructure. In addition, nearly all of the mountain venues are temporary, requiring huge amounts of heat - primarily to melt snow to prevent it from collecting on the roofs of temporary structures and endangering them.
Aggreko has a wealth of experience providing power and temperature control to the most high profile events in the world, including eight Olympic Games, the U.S. Presidential Inauguration, the Ryder Cup and the Daytona 500.
Editor’s Notes
Aggreko plc is the world leader in the supply of temporary power and temperature control solutions. Aggreko employs over 4,000 people operating from over 133 locations. In 2008 we served customers in over 100 countries, and had revenues of approximately £950m (USD $1.6bn or Euros €1.1bn). Aggreko plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (AGK.L), is a member of the FTSE-100 index, and is headquartered in Scotland. For more information, please visit the company website at www.aggreko.com.
Aggreko provides power and temperature control solutions to customers who need them either very quickly, or for a short or indeterminate length of time. Examples would be the supply of power to an industrial site which needs to service its permanent power supply, supplying a whole city in times of power shortage, or providing a major sporting event with power and cooling systems. We serve our customers either through 120 service centres, which we call the Local Business, or globally through our International Power Projects business.
In the Local business, which accounts for about 60% of our revenues, we hire our equipment to customers, who then operate it for themselves, although we retain responsibility for servicing and maintaining it. In the International Power Projects business, which accounts for about 40% of revenues, we operate as a power producer. We install and operate power plants and we charge our customers both for providing the generating capacity, and for the electricity we produce. We design and manufacture equipment specifically for these requirements in our factory in Dumbarton, Scotland.
Recent customers include the Beijing 2008 OlympicGames, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the power utilities in over 50 countries including the UK, France, Angola, Kenya, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Venezuela, Chile, Brazil and the USA.
Media Contacts
David Nesmith
Richards/Carlberg
David_Nesmith@RichardsCarlberg.com
713.964.3606
Amy Stine
Aggreko, LLC
Amy.Stine@Aggreko.com
281.985.8286
Simon Lyons
Aggreko Plc
Simon.LyonsATaggreko.co.uk
+44.141.2255900