With less than 60 days to go until the Opening Ceremony for the 2010 Winter Games, Aggreko, a 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 center; the Whistler broadcast and press center; 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 percent 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 will provide stand-by power at the International Broadcast Centre. 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.
With North American headquarters in Houston, Aggreko is No. 10 on the RER 100.
