Cup coup for power provider
Mar 2 2010 by Peter McCusker, The Journal
UK firm Aggreko has secured its place at another major sporting event with a £30m contract to provide power at this year's FIFA World Cup.
Fresh from its work at the Vancouver Winter Olympics, Glasgow-based Aggreko will deliver broadcasting power at all 10 World Cup stadium venues, as well as power and temperature control at the international broadcast centre.
The project – which involves installing 300km of cable and 30 megawatts of generating capacity – will support the screening of 64 matches to an estimated global audience of more than three billion people.
The firm is operating the contract in partnership with investment company Shanduka. The companies worked together to supply temporary power to the FIFA’s Confederations Cup in South Africa last year.
Aggreko, which has also provided temporary power for Glastonbury and the Beijing Olympics, recently joined the FTSE 100 Index after a strong run for its share price. The business was founded in Holland in 1962 and set up its UK arm in Scotland in 1973. It now has 3,500 staff worldwide.
Its international arm serves utilities, governments, armed forces and major industrial customers with power plants ranging from 10MW to 100MW on a single site.
Aggreko is due to report annual profits on Thursday, when revenues are expected to top £1bn and operating profits could rise 27% to £260m.
