Aggreko wins ‘Best Fast-Track Power Project’ Award
- The Africa Energy Awards recognise outstanding
achievements in African power
- Aggreko was recognised for its 140 MW rental power
plant in Kenya
- The power plant, delivered in just two months, is
helping to reduce load shedding
Johannesburg, South
Africa - Aggreko, the global leader in the provision of
temporary power and temperature control services, has been
recognised for its rapid response capability by the Africa Energy
Awards 2010, which recognises special achievements to Africa’s
power industry. The awards, decided by an independent panel of
judges, are a part of the Power and Electricity World Africa trade
show and exhibition. Aggreko won the “Best Fast-Track Power Project
in Africa” award for the rapid design, installation and
commissioning of two rental power projects with a total power
capacity of 140 MW.
A year-long drought in Kenya had
caused the reservoir levels in hydroelectric dams across the
country to drop, resulting in reduced power capacity. Kenya
Electricity Generating Company Ltd. (KenGen) issued a public tender
for the supply of 140 MW of power, to be commissioned within two
months. Aggreko, one of nine bidding companies, won the competitive
tender based upon its price, previous record of reliability and
fast-track ability. Aggreko’s cost-effective solution enabled
KenGen to add 140 MW of power to the national grid within just two
months, greatly reducing load shedding in the country.
Commenting on the project, KenGen’s
Operations Director, Richard Nderitu, said: “Kenya has experienced
severe drought twice over the last 10 years. In both periods,
Aggreko has performed beyond expectations and continues to do so.
It is instructive to note that the contract was awarded following a
public competitive tender process... the winner providing the most
competitive bid price.”
Accepting the award, Robin James,
Business Development Director, Aggreko Africa, commented:
“I am extremely proud to
accept this award on the behalf of all the employees at Aggreko who
have worked hard to deliver this project. Aggreko has been working
in Africa for over 10 years, providing grid support to reduce load
shedding, and this award highlights our position as global leader
in rental power. Having opened a permanent depot in South Africa in
2009, we are in an even stronger position to respond rapidly and
effectively to any power requirement in this and neighbouring
regions.”
Background
Information:
By providing a fast-track power
solution to KenGen and limiting load shedding caused by the most
recent drought, Aggreko has helped reduce production losses for all
industries operating in the country, ultimately saving the country
from substantial GDP losses.
The cost implications of not
implementing a rental power solution to combat load shedding were
laid out in the 2000 World Bank report regarding the proposed
credit to Kenya of funds for an emergency power supply project. Due
to a power generation system that was primarily reliant on
hydropower, which was no longer available due to droughts, and
several long delays to new long-term power stations, Kenya had
found itself in a power crisis situation.
An extensive load shedding program
had to be introduced which meant that domestic consumers received
power supply for approximately 15 hours per day. Industrial
consumers received even less - only eight hours per day on
alternate days. The impact of the load shedding on industries,
businesses, commercial activities such as tourism, hospitals and
the water supply, as well as domestic customers, was
severe.
The economic costs of unmet demand
during this power crisis were estimated by the World Bank at 3.8%
of GDP or USD 400 million over a period of nine months, a sum which
is equivalent to USD 910 million in today’s currency. (Calculation
based on an estimated unit cost of unserved energy in Kenya of
US$0.50/kWh. If the estimated unit cost from the 1993 Electricity
tariff study, at US$0.79, is used, the total losses to the economy
would be 6% of GDP, USD 630 million or USD 1.43 billion in today’s
currency)
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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 relatively short period of time. We serve
our customers through a network of 120 service centres in 30
countries and globally across 100 countries through our
International Power Projects business. We design and assemble
equipment specifically for these requirements in our ISO-accredited
factory in Dumbarton, Scotland.
We support customers whose needs
vary greatly in size and application. Through our service centres
we hire our equipment and provide services including installation
and maintenance for applications such as running machinery at a
factory, powering a construction site or powering mobile
telecommunications towers, to name just a few. We can also operate
as a power provider, installing and operating power plants to
supply power for cities, mine sites, oil & gas and industrial
facilities. 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 .In essence, we are
both national power providers and turn-key rental solutions
providers.
Recent customers include the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the Vancouver 2010 Winter
Olympics and the power utilities in over 50 countries including
the UK, France, Angola, Kenya, Indonesia, Bangladesh,
Venezuela, Chile, Brazil and the USA.