Providing power for any stadium is challenging – but this challenge was compounded by the fact it was the venue of the finals of the UAE President’s Cup – Hazza bin Zayed Stadium – which was due to host thousands of football fans, according to Aggreko.

Hence, there was no room for error – especially as the match was also being broadcast live; even a tiny glitch in the power supply could cost the organisers tremendously.

In such projects, the scope of works involves extensive cabling and distribution – sometimes cables need to be installed up to three or four levels above, from power connections taken from the source in the ground level, the power solutions provider explains.

Initially scheduled for May 2022, the final match of the tournament was postponed until October, as the country observed a period of mourning after the passing of HH the then UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

With the match having been rescheduled a few times and with no clear timeline to work towards, the equipment for the event could not be reserved ahead of time. With a stadium and show this big, a lot of power was required and a reliable supplier was needed which could provide this within a short span of time.

Having worked with Aggreko on several events previously, the client turned to this global supplier of mobile and modular power, temperature control equipment and energy services for a solution.

The Solution

Aggreko was commissioned to provide power, cooling and distribution for the entire event which included the stadium as well as the surrounding areas from where the event organisers and other suppliers would operate.

One of the biggest challenges was installation of this volume of equipment for the job within the given time. 

Aggreko says it provided a dedicated Project Lead, an engineer and seven labour crew for each day. The team did several site visits and collaborated closely with the organisers and the site management team to make sure the design and calculations were perfect, providing the right solution for the event.

Another obstacle to overcome was that of the stadium’s façades in order to get the generators installed as close as possible. Equipment transportation inside the stadium required meticulous planning to make sure the stadium’s façade was not damaged in the process, it adds.

The team faced great difficulty in trying to fit the generators and fuel tanks within the façade of the stadium. It took two days with two dedicated forklift drivers to bring all of the equipment into the location, the company points out.

Once inside, it took another 10 days to install and test every piece of equipment and distribution cabling to make sure everything worked perfectly.

Power for the show was needed for lights, laser shows, sound effects, videos, projectors, TV broadcast and SFX. The five main locations for power supply and distribution included the main stadium, the welfare tent, control cabins, production office and the pyro tent from where the finale fireworks show would be managed.

For cooling, the team provided solutions for some of the areas inside the stadium as well as the welfare tent and control rooms to keep the projectors area cooler.

Thanks to Aggreko Event Services team’s extensive experience working with stadiums, they were able to overcome the challenges and deliver on every requirement of the client. With HSE safety training and daily toolbox talks, Aggreko says its team always followed best practices during installation and testing of the equipment.