The head of global power rental group Aggreko confirmed on Friday that each FIFA World Cup stadium had been equipped with 1,45 MW worth of temporary supply for broadcast power, which would support the worldwide broadcasting of all 64 matches to over three-billion viewers.

Speaking at the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), near Soweto, CEO Rupert Soames said that the contract had been awarded to Aggreko and its South African joint-venture (JV) partner, Shanduka, in March.

The £30-million contract involved providing broadcasting power in all ten World Cup stadium venues, the IBC and FIFA headquarters, as well as temperature control at the IBC. In total, it has involved the installation of some 300 km of cable and 30,6 MW of generating capacity.

The 13,5-MW IBC power package is already operational at Nasrec, which is in close proximity to the Soccer City stadium that will host the opening and closing games of the tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 11.

Another 2,6 MW of power is being used to power the cooling systems at the IBC, which houses sensitive computers and broadcast equipment that need to be kept at a consistent temperature to ensure uninterrupted coverage.

Soames said that the JV employs 360 people, of which 316 were South Africans.

He added that the contract underlined the group's positioning as the leading supplier of temporary power services for the major events sector.

Earlier in the year, Aggreko provided large-scale power generation and temperature control for the Super Bowl game and the half-time show at the Sun Life Field in Miami, Florida, when the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 31 to 17.

Aggreko has a long history of powering high-profile events in the world, including: the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, the Daytona 500, as well as the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

In Africa, the company is currently generating over 1000 MW across 20 countries, employing 450 people, while its JV partner, Shanduka, is a black empowerment company, led by Cyril Ramaphosa, with an investment portfolio spanning resources, financial services, property, energy, beverages and general industry.

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