Scotland-headquartered Aggreko International – a global leader in the provision of temporary power and temperature control solutions – has recently supplied a 50 MW/11 kV power package to Yemen, under a two-year contract with Yemen’s state-owned Public Electricity Corporation (PEC) to power the development of infrastructure and services.

Equipment for the contract – which was won following a competitive public tender – was transported from Aggreko’s regional headquarters at Jebel Ali in Dubai, to ensure that the generating capacity was operational before the country’s annual celebration of Yemen Reunification Day to commemorate the merger of North and South Yemen, in last May.
While purchase of generators by individual companies to meet business requirements is not unusual in Yemen, this is the first time the state authority has undertaken to hire a private company to support the grid and meet the nation’s growing power requirements, which is rising by seven to 10 per cent annually.
“Aggreko has a wealth of experience with grid support, and the power package being provided has been tailored to the country’s specific requirements. This is our first contract in Yemen and we are very pleased to be able to work with the Yemeni authorities to support national development,” says James Shepherd, Aggreko’s area director Middle East
Aggreko equipment for the contract has been installed at four sites in the Red Sea town Al Hudaydah, which is 144 miles from Sana’a, the capital of Yemen.
After the reunification ceremony, the power supply is being used to support the grid as it can be exported from Aggreko’s 11 kV power package system to the 132 kV system of Yemen’s national grid. The Aggreko solution is expected to aid in reducing power deficiency and load shedding problems.
Aggreko, meanwhile, has recently opened its second depot in Asia, located in Hong Kong, providing temporary power generation and load testing services to Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China, as part of its fast-track expansion plans for its international network.
This brings the total number of depots in the Aggreko International region to 22, all of which are administered by the company’s regional headquarters in Dubai. Located in Yuen Long in the northwest New Territories of Hong Kong, the new depot will complement the existing Aggreko network and enhance service capability in the local market.
Ian Rogers, Asia managing director of Aggreko, said that the opening of the new depot is in line with the company’s international expansion strategy. “Aggreko prides itself on its ability to provide highly reliable and flexible power rental solutions, tailored specifically to our clients requirements, and which can be rapidly mobilised to almost anywhere in the world.”
“With the opening of the new depot, we can now extend this specialised service offering to the Hong Kong region, Macau and mainland China through our new depot.
“An extensive range of power generation equipment, from 350 kVA to 1,250 kVA offered as individual generator units, or as complete multi-megawatt power packages can be rapidly mobilised across Hong Kong and mainland China, where it is installed and operated quickly and efficiently by specialized Aggreko engineers,” he adds.
“Setting up in Hong Kong was a natural progression of our business in Asia,” says Rogers. “Similar to our Singapore operation, the shipping, construction, manufacturing, and events sectors in Hong Kong provide both power generation and temperature control opportunities for Aggreko,” says Rogers.
Aggreko’s first Asian depot was established in Singapore in 1989.
“We are always looking for opportunities to expand our existing operations or to establish ourselves in new markets. Asia is a particularly interesting market and one that we expect to further extend our operations in the future,” Rogers says.
Aggreko’s experience in Asia includes: load testing services at the Dalian Shipyard; broadcast power during the Shanghai Grand Prix; commissioning power during construction of the Manjung Power Station; emergency supplementary power for a paper plant in the Philippines, and power generation and comfort cooling during the Asian Aerospace exhibition in Singapore.
Aggreko International provides round-the-clock availability and service support with more than 2,000 employees operating from over 100 locations in 28 countries. Last year, the company served customers in 80 countries, using more than $1 billion of rental equipment.