Aggreko plays key Olympic role
AGGREKO, which has its Middle Eastern headquarters in Dubai, UAE, played a key role in supporting the opening ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games which were held last month in Vancouver, Canada.

Aggreko was responsible for the main supply of power for the ceremony at BC Place as well as stand-by power to the International Broadcast Centre, which was responsible for transmitting the ceremony to an estimated three billion viewers worldwide.
As the official supplier of temporary power and temperature control solutions, Aggreko provided temporary power, heating and cooling equipment at all of the Vancouver and Whistler venues throughout the Games.

Schindler to supply 272 escalators
SCHINDLER will supply 272 escalators and 67 elevators for a major new subway system in Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul. The 22-km Kadikoy-Kartal line will provide a crucial transport axis for the heavily-populated Asian half of the city.
The escalators and elevators are to be installed in the 16 stations along the Kadikoy-Kartal line by the end of this year, before the system is handed over to the city authorities at the end of March 2011. The escalators range in length from three to nearly 20 m and are fitted with special materials and features, such as stainless steel landing platforms and balustrades to provide protection from the elements. Most of those installed indoors have glass balustrades.

Expert advice ... the Sandvik seminar.

Quarry techniques shared
SANDVIK held a two-day seminar on quarrying in Doha, Qatar, where blasting and crushing solutions were discussed. Called the Quarry Academy, the event was jointly hosted by Sandvik’s local distributors Q-Fab and Boodai and was attended by almost 40 key senior management representing Qatari contractors, quarry operators and drill and blast companies.
Two papers were presented at the event. The first covering everything from opening a quarry to feeding rock to the crushing plant while the second described the crushing process and the concept of mobile crushers.

QAEC awards $19m deal
QATAR Aluminium Extrusion Company (QAEC) has awarded the contract to construct its $19 million (QR72 million) aluminium manufacturing plant to Al Alia Trading. The deal involves construction of the manufacturing facility and other associated infrastructure for QAEC, which is promoted by Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company, in the new industrial area. The contract was signed by Abdul Rehman Al Ansari, QAEC chairman, and Ayman Khaled, Al Alia Trading general manager.
The project is expected to be completed in 10 months from date of inception.

Saudis signs transport deal
SAUDI Public Transport Company (Saptco) said it has partnered with an affiliate of France’s Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) to bid for public transport projects.
Saudi Arabia is spending $400 billion earmarked for a five-year period ending 2013 on development, which includes several transport projects – especially tramway, high-speed trains and metros – in existing or planned cities in the kingdom. The two firms will bid for projects in Saudi cities such as Makkah, Riyadh and Madinah as well as in economic cities that are under construction, Saptco said.

Oman plant gets under way
SEMBCORP said it has started construction of a $1-billion independent water and power pant in Salalah, Oman. The plant, targeted to begin full commercial operations in the first half of 2012, will consist of a gas-fired power plant which will have a net capacity of 445 MW. It will also comprise a seawater desalination plant which will employ reverse osmosis technology to produce 15 million gallons per day of water.

Suspension bridge completed
OMAN’S first suspension bridge, Khor Al Bath, connecting mainland Sur and the picturesque village of Aijah, is complete with the exception of fixing walkway tiles on the bridge deck. Undertaken by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, executed by Strabag Oman and supervised by CES Consulting Engineering Services, the bridge spans 204 m with the biggest span measuring 140 m.

Saudi Oger supports Oasis
SAUDI Oger has contributed SR50 million ($13 million) towards the Prince Salman Science Oasis, which will be built on a 200,000 sq m plot of land located on King Abdullah Road, northwest of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology. The project encourages youngsters of the community to discover the world and choose their career paths by encouraging them to explore the importance of science and education in building productive nations.