Two global sporting events. Tens of millions of eyes on the action that unfolds. Two months apart.
How did Aggreko power both the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and the 2018 Commonwealth Games in such a short space of time, not to mention providing temperature control in two wildly contrasting climates?
It seems like an impossible task, but Aggreko’s event services teams are specialists in mobile and modular power, heating, cooling and energy services for good reason.
The Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games of 2018 took place in average temperatures of -4oC. Power totalling 140 MW was provided using Aggreko’s containerised generators as well as around 985km of cabling – 100 times taller than the height of Everest. This was sufficient to power 20 venues, overseen by 95 of Aggreko’s experts on site to ensure a smooth project.
Just two months later, the portable power, temperature control and energy storage specialist deployed 30 MW of power, stretched across 1700km of Australia’s beautiful Gold Coast, for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. This involved 120 experts on site and 34 venues in balmy temperatures of 23oC.
Both occasions were enjoyed by millions. Spectators packed the stands at both locations, enthralled by the thrills and spills of sporting competition. Behind the scenes, Aggreko were hard at work, optimising output, making sure that every variable was monitored and performing to its maximum.
To get to this point involved months of planning and design. The respective sites shared no common ground, and the teams responsible for constructing a plan had to consider plenty before finalising a directive for action.
During the Gold Coast Games there was much more space to cover than in Pyeongchang, but in Pyeongchang, the average temperature and ice-cold mountain winds would require special preparations for equipment to face this extreme climate.
Aggreko works closely with organising committees and this collaboration helps to highlight pre-existing systems, the functionality of the local grid and various solutions that can work around these potential pitfalls. This forms a partnership rather than a conventional business setup, where trust is created, and the supplier can get the best idea of exactly what is needed.
Each project is different and with Aggreko’s extensive experience in this sector, they have the expertise – and the modular products – to mould their specialist solutions to perfectly fit the varying requirements.
This is how Aggreko overcame the odds to offer these global events the reliability they craved, ensuring that its reputation for excellence in the field of events is maintained and warranted.
Tag: Power
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Event excellence, from PyeongChang to the Gold Coast
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Aggreko awarded $200m contract to power Tokyo 2020 Olympics
[Source: Aggreko] Aggreko plc, the global leader in the rental of power, heating and cooling, is pleased to announce that its subsidiary Aggreko Events Services Japan Limited (‘AESJL’) has been awarded the supply contract in the category of ‘Temporary Electricity Generation’ by The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
As part of the supply contract AESJL will provide temporary electricity (generation and distribution) systems to support the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. AESJL’s extended scope of supply includes temporary medium and low voltage power systems across 43 competition venues, the Athletes Village and the International Broadcast Centre, ensuring reliable power for all stakeholders in the venues and uninterrupted television broadcast to millions of viewers.
The value of the supply contract is expected to be in the region of $200m, and reinforces Aggreko’s confidence in its ability to achieve its mid-teens ROCE target in 2020.
Aggreko has a proven track record in supporting high profile events including this year’s PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, European Championships in Glasgow and Ryder Cup in France.
Chris Weston, Chief Executive Officer said: “We are delighted to have secured what is one of the most prestigious event contracts won by Aggreko. Our experienced team will support the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee to ensure our role in the success of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games is flawlessly delivered.” -

Aggreko to power Rugby World Cup 2019 Japan
[Source: Aggreko, March 2019] Aggreko is proud to announce it will be providing critical power and distribution for the ninth Rugby World Cup, which takes place from 20 September to 2 November, in Japan. This will be the first time the tournament is to be held in Asia, providing a great showcase for the sport in the region and across the world.
The global leader in mobile, modular power, heating, cooling and energy services will supply the power to 12 venues spread across Japan, as well as the International Broadcast Centre that is responsible for providing the television coverage to millions of fans across the world.
Aggreko is tasked with all critical power systems and distribution for all broadcast activities, and Field of Play Backup Systems too. Venues are spread around the country, providing a logistical challenge, so Aggreko will ensure around 80 engineers will be on site to support the operations and logistics.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “We are delighted to welcome Aggreko as a supplier for Rugby World Cup 2019. The appointment of company with a proven track record in major events delivery to the tournament commercial family will further broaden the reach and profile of what is shaping-up to be the most popular Rugby World Cup ever with record ticket demand and the biggest-ever broadcast and digital media footprint.”
“Aggreko are proud to be chosen to provide our critical services to such a global and prestigious event as Rugby World Cup 2019. We have ample experience handling the worlds’ biggest events, and the 2019 Rugby World Cup certainly falls under that category.” said Robert Wells, Managing Director, Aggreko Events Services.
Aggreko have been involved in some of the biggest events in the world, providing their services to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Ryder Cup in Parisamong many.
Rugby World Cup 2019 is on track to be the event to attend in 2019 with unprecedented ticketing demand during the priority and public phases to date. Fans interested in attending Asia’s first Rugby World Cup can find out more via the official website at www.rugbyworldcup.com/tickets, where tickets are currently on sale. The site also contains details of the official supporter tour and hospitality programmes. -

How Glastonbury Festival got greener with Aggreko
[Source: Aggreko] To support its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and pursuing more efficient ways of providing power, Aggreko, the world-leading provider of mobile modular power, temperature control and energy services, introduced a number of emission-reducing power solutions at this year’s Glastonbury Festival.
Aggreko is proud to have been the exclusive power supplier for the festival since 2007, and in 2019 several locations at the festival were powered by hybrid thermal-solar generators, combined with battery storage systems and proprietary energy management software. This ensures maximum efficiency and minimise the carbon impact and together, these innovative systems saved over 200 metric tonnes of CO2 across the course of the festival, compared to the use of traditional diesel generators.
Uniquely, the festival’s Green Fields HQ ran entirely on solar power for the duration of the festival, which when combined with the battery storage systems, provided a reliable power source during the hours of festival operation.
In addition, this year saw the use of cleaner, healthier fuel deployed in Aggreko generators – Green D+, a special blend of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), purchased by Glastonbury directly. HVO fuel which is made to an international specification, is derived from a mix of 100 per cent used vegetable oils and waste fats. All carbon is removed in the production process resulting in a biofuel of higher consistency, quality and purity than other biofuels.
Green D+ includes additives that produce a fuel that has several advantages over standard diesel, including a significant reduction in particulates, over 80 per cent saving on greenhouse gases, zero sulphur emissions and reduced noise pollution.
By switching to this fuel, which works in all Aggreko diesel generators without modification, Aggreko achieved a C02 saving equivalent to the annual emissions of 45 family cars.
Bill Egan, a Principle Engineer at Aggreko Events Services who has a been working with Glastonbury Festival for over 25 years, said: “Powering a major event like Glastonbury presents a huge challenge. Providing 25MW of low-carbon power with the reliability to ensure that there are no disappointments for the festival-goers is no mean feat.
“Aggreko’s use of low carbon HVO fuel, combined with our innovative thermal, hybrid, storage and solar power solutions will ensure that everyone enjoys the festival without interruption, all the whilst supporting Glastonbury’s efforts to minimise its impact on the environment”.
The festival took place from 26th – 30th June. It is the largest greenfield festival in the world, attended by around 175,000 people. The five-day festival near Pilton, Somerset, is regarded as a major event in British culture and raises millions of pounds for good causes. -
Aggreko launches interactive 3D tour of global events
[Source: Aggreko] The interactive tour harnesses the latest 3D technology to develop an immersive experience that demonstrates what it takes to power global events of scale. Viewers can experience the process from generation to transmission, demonstrating the complexity of solutions required so that spectators and competitors can enjoy their favourite events without interruption.
Supporting a project of scale requires complex infrastructure and meticulous planning to ensure the delivery of reliable, flexible power. Aggreko’s decades of experience and strong track record means it has developed an operational playbook and the skills needed to provide power solutions for projects of any scale, whether it is the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, a remote mine in West Africa or a construction site in central Manhattan.
To give an idea of the complexity involved, at this year’s Rugby World Cup, Aggreko provided a total of 32.5 MVA of electricity to power the 12 match venues and international broadcast centre. More than 1.8 million tickets were sold for this year’s tournament, with a record 99.3% attendance and an estimated 400 million people tuning in worldwide, making this the most watched Rugby World Cup in history. Clearly, the need for a constant, reliable stream of power was paramount.
To see exactly what’s involved in powering events of scale, the interactive tour can be viewed here https://www.aggreko.com/en/sectors-and-services/events
Aggreko recommends using Google Chrome in order to get the most out of the experience. -

Aggreko commits to greener future
[Source: Aggreko] Aggreko has cemented its position as a green supplier of temporary power, heating and cooling solutions after being certified to the Carbon Trust Standard and achieving certification to ISO 50001:2018 international standard for energy management.
By implementing ISO 50001, Aggreko has committed to reduce its energy consumption, minimise its carbon footprint and promote sustainable energy usage. This includes applying both internal and external guiding principles including the integration of energy reduction considerations and increasing fuel efficiency in our fleet and solutions offerings for its customers.
Replacing the Carbon & Energy Management and Reduction Scheme (CEMARS), the Carbon Trust Standard is the world’s leading independent certification of an organisation’s achievements in managing and reducing carbon emissions. By accrediting Aggreko to the Standard, the Carbon Trust has independently recognised the company as taking a best practice approach to achieving real year-on-year reductions.
As part of its commitment to both accrediting bodies, Aggreko will significantly reduce its power-related carbon emissions. With this pledge in mind, the company has also switched its electricity contract to 100% renewable electricity, with all annual electricity demand required to supply Aggreko’s Service Centres being generated by offshore wind generators.
Aggreko is also reducing carbon and energy use internally by reviewing its vehicle fleet, and has already taken steps to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions using vehicle tracking, driver training, more electric plug-in vehicles and work planning using technological innovations.
Furthermore, the company provides generators that work with alternative greener fuels such as natural gas, biofuel and hydrotreated vegetable oil, or HVO. This includes providing remote monitoring technology on equipment to improve efficiency, regularly reviewing products to ensure compliance with latest emissions standards. It is also developing renewable energies including modular PV and hybrid solutions that consist of different technologies, batteries and modular solar panels.
Chris Rason, UK Managing Director at Aggreko, said: “Delivering sustainable growth and limiting the impact our business has on the environment is extremely important for Aggreko. As a business, we have made a number of commitments and by implementing ISO 50001, and getting the Carbon Trust Standard, we will ensure that we continue to improve our energy efficiency.
“The Carbon Trust Standard will allow us to monitor and manage our energy performance to help aid year-on-year reductions. Through verified environmental impact data, regulation compliance will be ensured, which in turn will help our customers. Working with the Carbon Trust closely will allow us to benchmark our performance and, perhaps most importantly, identify opportunities for improvement and implement these.”
Chris Rason concluded: “Aggreko has a vision to be the greenest provider of temporary power equipment and our aim for the next year is to help customers become greener. As a business, we are taking active responsibility to limit the impact our business has on the environment and we look forward to seeing the positive changes these real commitments through certification will have.”
For more information, please visit www.aggreko.com. -

Aggreko joins forces with Host City as Sustainability Partner and Headline Sponsor for 2021 Events
Aggreko, the global leader in mobile and modular energy solutions, today announces a new partnership with Host City, the leading magazine and conference organisers for cities, rights holders, organisers, venues and suppliers of major international events.
As part of the new partnership, Aggreko will become the headline sponsor of the flagship Host City 2021 Conference, as well as Official Sustainability Partner of the Host City Americas Conference. Today’s announcement is the latest in a long and successful partnership between the two organisations, with Aggreko having supported Host City since it moved to Glasgow in 2015.
In addition to the partnership, David De Behr, Head of Sales – Aggreko Event Services, has been appointed as Advisory Board Member for Host City. David has worked within the events team at Aggreko for over 20 years, delivering innovative energy solutions for some of the biggest events in the world, including the Olympics and Glastonbury Festival. David’s role as an Advisory Board Member will focus on helping Host City to develop their sustainability efforts.
David De Behr, Head of Sales – Aggreko Event Services, said: “As the energy transition gathers pace, the global events sector continues to take the changing landscape in its stride, with events organisers continually adapting the way they operate to reduce their carbon footprint. As a key player in events, we’re proud to be supporting Host City in its efforts to achieve its sustainability targets.
“As an Advisory Board Member, I look forward to working closely with the Host City team. This partnership brings our two organisations even closer together after many years of successful collaboration, and demonstrates our collective commitment to leading carbon reduction efforts in event energy solutions”.
Ben Avison, Editorial and Conference Director at Host City said: “The topic of how to stage sustainable events gets more prominent every year at Host City and we are pleased to provide a platform for Aggreko to share its leadership in the urgent field of carbon reduction. We look forward to shaping the agenda with David’s expert input, and to welcoming him to the stage alongside other world class speakers in Glasgow and the Americas.”
About Aggreko
Aggreko is a world-leading provider of mobile modular power, temperature control and energy services. We are working at the forefront of a rapidly changing energy market and are focused on solving our customers’ challenges to provide cost-effective, flexible and greener solutions across the globe.
We harness innovation that helps us maintain a global reach and supply portable equipment for a wide range of uses. From unique commercial industrial projects, through to utility provision and humanitarian emergencies. We bring expertise and equipment to any location, from the world’s busiest cities to its most remote places.
Aggreko specialises in serving eight key sectors: Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Mining, Petrochemicals & Refining, Business Services & Construction, Events, Data Centres and Utilities.
Across these, our equipment offers maximum fuel flexibility, using gas, diesel (including HFO), and renewable fuel sources. We offer microgrid and storage solutions and are developing our offer to include more tools to help our customers adapt to the energy transition the world is experiencing. What makes us unique is our extensive expertise, experience and values. This means we put our customers first, innovate and deliver leaner and more efficient equipment quickly.
Since 1962, Aggreko has grown from a small local business to a global energy pioneer. We have more than 6,000 employees, operating in around 79 countries. With revenues of approximately GBP 1.6bn (USD 2.0 bn or Euros 1.8bn) in 2019, we are listed on the London Stock Exchange (AGK.L) and headquartered in Scotland.
Aggreko draws together global expertise and technology development to go further for customers. The ability to provide power, heating and cooling will continue to open-up opportunity and create potential for individuals, communities, industries and societies all over the world.
Together and over time, we believe our services will make a massive difference.
About Host City
Host City is the event and media brand that connects the owners, hosts and organisers of major events.
Through its conference, exhibition and online publishing platforms, Host City shares best practice within the international community of international sports, business and cultural events.
Host City events are renowned for the highest level of speakers, content and networking.
Launched in 2014, the annual global Host City conference takes place in Glasgow each November/December. The first Host City Americas takes place online on 29-30 June 2021, following the success of Host City Asia events in 2018 and 2019.
For more information visit www.hostcity.com -

Birmingham 2022 appoints Aggreko as Official Modular Energy Solutions Supporter for the Commonwealth Games
[Source: Birmingham 2022] Aggreko, the global leader in mobile and modular energy solutions, has been named the Official Modular Energy Solutions Supporter for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The Games will see athletes compete in 19 sports at 14 locations, including the brand-new Aquatics Centre in Sandwell, all powered by Aggreko’s innovative temporary power solutions.
Aggreko will be applying relevant experience from previous international sporting events, including 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Recognised for its values-led approach to business operations, Aggreko’s appointment demonstrates its commitment to meeting the Birmingham 2022 Social Values Charter, which puts community at the heart of the Games.
Aggreko will be providing a modular energy solution that has sustainability and legacy at its core, with the launch of a number of community projects aimed to educate and leave a long-lasting legacy of the Games, improving opportunities and skills for those living and working in the area.
This support includes running educational events on sustainability, enhancing understanding of sustainable technology and the energy transition, as well as nurturing STEM skills in local schools and not for profit organisations. These events will run before, during and after the Games, with the first set offering local school children the chance of winning Birmingham 2022 tickets to attend the biggest sporting and culture event to happen in the UK for a decade.
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will see around 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories compete from 28 July until 8 August 2022. As the biggest event ever to be held in the West Midlands, it is expected to attract more than one million spectators to the city and have a global TV audience of 1.5 billion.
Robert Wells, Managing Director of Event Solutions at Aggreko said: “On behalf of everyone at Aggreko, we are delighted to be partnering with Birmingham 2022, and look forward to helping to deliver a truly outstanding Games, embracing the key objectives, within the Games-Social Values Charter, as well as delivering world class energy solutions.
“Not only will we deliver reliable, efficient and renewable temporary power solutions, but we will also help educate the wider community on the energy transition and the skills and technology needed for this to succeed, helping us all to understand and become excited about the new horizons for sustainability.”
James Eade, Head of Energy at Birmingham 2022, said: “We are delighted to have Aggreko on board as they join us as our Official Modular Energy Solutions Supporter for Birmingham 2022. Aggreko are well-known for their experience in temporary power solutions and they have an enviable pedigree when it comes to multi-games events; they are the ideal partner to help deliver a safe and sustainable Games.
In selecting a delivery partner, we saw that Aggreko’s low-carbon corporate roadmap dovetails neatly with our pioneering zero-carbon games initiative. We are looking forward to using some of Aggreko’s new power generation and storage technologies as well as developing innovative approaches to powering the Games, whilst still maintaining the highest levels of reliability.
“In addition to their work on competition venues, Aggreko are committed to working with us on our community engagement activities, in particular focusing on nurturing Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills within the local community. It is really important that we use exciting and engaging opportunities such as the Games to foster new talent in STEM subjects for the future benefit of our environment and well-being.”
Commonwealth Games Federation Executive Director Martin Reynolds said: “Having supported the previous two Commonwealth Games at Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018, we are delighted that Aggreko’s commitment and expertise will once again power world-class competition at Birmingham 2022. We are proud that the Commonwealth Sport brand continues to attract world leading organisations like Aggreko who share our vision.” -

Aggreko trials hydrogen generator and fuel cell battery hybrid
[Source: Aggreko] Aggreko is accelerating its investments in hydrogen technology. This step is part of its Net Zero programme and will enhance the company’s capability to provide emission-free temporary power worldwide. At present, the global leader in mobile and modular energy solutions is focusing on two different technologies.
Together with cleantech partner CMB.TECH, a 50 kVA hydrogen combustion genset demonstrator has been developed. After successful testing, Aggreko is now investing in 10 additional units to support hydrogen readiness, working with lead customers and partners to test and validate hydrogen as an energy carrier in temporary power. The solution will be ready for customer installations in Europe in H2/2021.This solution is Tier 4f/Stage V compliant without aftertreatment and results in near to no NOx emissions.
In addition, Aggreko has partnered with Nedstack for building a fuel cell demonstration unit that will integrate zero-emission hydrogen technology into Aggreko’s canopy storage battery solution. The hydrogen hybrid consists of a Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell and a lithium-ion storage system. The zero-emissions solution will be piloted in Aggreko’s hub in Moerdijk, Netherlands.
Aggreko is exploring hydrogen technologies and fuel supply logistics to better understand long-term feasibility and usage in temporary power generation. The engine and fuel cell hybrids will be available as field-trial and demonstrator units at customer’s sites in the second half of 2021. This will help businesses around the world – from events to construction – to reduce their own emissions and bridge the gap to net zero.
Carsten Reincke-Collon, Director of Future Technologies at Aggreko, said:?“At Aggreko we like to think of hydrogen as having its own superpowers, given the electricity it can produce without emitting any emissions. However, businesses around the world are only at the start of the hydrogen journey and therefore need to be supported to find?the best ways of?integrating it into their operations. This means better knowledge of and increased investment in storage and transport infrastructure, which is why we’re testing different technologies in order to fully understand the role hydrogen can play in transitioning temporary power to net zero.”
Last year, Aggreko committed to operating as a Net?Zero business across all services it provides by?2050. The company will also reduce the amount of fossil diesel fuel used in customer solutions by at least 50%, reduce local air quality emissions of its solutions by 50% and achieve Net Zero across all its own business operations by 2030. To achieve these goals, Aggreko is?increasingly offering clean technologies like?battery storage and?solar power, as well as prioritising the use of?alternative?fuels. -

Aggreko commits to mandatory greener fuels switch
[Source: Aggreko] Aggreko has further confirmed its commitment to reaching net zero emissions by beginning the transition from diesel to greener fuel sources in its fuel management services.
The organisation’s ongoing phaseout is part of its pledge to cut the amount of the fossil fuel used by the organisation by 50% before 2030 and reduce local air quality emissions from its fleet by a similar figure. Specifically, Aggreko intends to phase out offering diesel with its fuel management services from April, instead solely providing hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).
The move is part of the global temporary equipment supplier’s ‘Greener Upgrades’ initiative, which also includes a multi-million-pound investment in new products and technologies, alongside alternative fuels.
Speaking on the switch, Chris Rason, Managing Director Aggreko Northern Europe, said: “The need to be sustainable has long shifted from a vague preference to an absolute priority for all businesses, and this sentiment continues to be reinforced through action.
“For example, at COP26, proposals have been floated to force UK firms how they will reach net zero targets set for 2050. However, despite this shift to a ‘prove it’ culture when it comes to decarbonisation, complacency and greenwashing sadly still remains at a time when organisations need to begin taking steps toward a greener future.
“It is for this reason why we have put great effort into developing efficient and sustainable technologies that can replace existing, polluting energy sources without disruption. This continued investment has allowed us to begin the transition from diesel to HVO for our fuel management systems, passing decarbonisation gains onto our customers while maintaining or improving equipment performance.”
Aggreko has previously trialled HVO as a ‘drop-in’ fuel in controlled conditions using its own generator fleet – a rarity in testing conditions – and demonstrated significant emissions benefits. Further scientific studies have also shown the fuel produces up to 90% less greenhouse emissions, including 33% lower levels of fine particulates compared to diesel. Alongside this, 30% less hydrocarbons and up to 9% fewer nitrogen oxides are produced, and the amount of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons produced was also reduced.
“It cannot be doubted that the transition to net zero will be difficult for all organisations, regardless of their place in the supply chain, and there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution,” Chris concludes. “However, this does not mean that businesses can stand still – far from it, in fact.
“By identifying areas in which pragmatic choices may be made for quick and effective sustainability gains, organisations can reduce the size of the challenge ahead. Opting for greener fuels is an excellent example of this, which is yet another reason why we have made this choice to transition our fuel management services onto HVO.”
To find out more about Aggreko’s new sustainability initiative, Greener Upgrades, click here.