Power Supply for Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony

Aggreko, the global leader in temporary power supply and temperature control, today played a crucial role in supporting the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Aggreko was responsible for the power supply to both the National Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre, which was responsible for transmitting the ceremony to an estimated 4 billion viewers worldwide as well as 100,000 people in the stadium.

Under the contract to supply power to the Olympics, Aggreko will provide 140 MW of power across 37 Olympic venues in 3 cities: Beijing, Qingdao and Hong Kong. The power, enough to supply over 150,000 homes, will be provided by industrial generators located at each venue and distributed through 470 km of cable and 2,000 distribution panels. Aggreko is employing around 200 staff on the contract, many of whom have been recruited in China, to install, maintain and operate the equipment.

Rupert Soames, Chief Executive, Aggreko, said:

"Watching the ceremony was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and the enjoyment of the spectacle was enhanced by knowing that Aggreko was a key part of the infrastructure. We now look forward to supporting the Games themselves in 37 venues across China and in Hong Kong".