Aggreko Temporarily Plugs 90-MW Power Gap in Angola

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--With a GDP growth rate forecast of 17.6% for 2008 (16.3% in 2007) and oil production targeted at 2 million barrels per day, it might seem that Angola must be a piece of the Middle East on the west coast of Africa. But, with the country’s infrastructure still healing from years of civil war in the last 30 years of the 20th century and the oil revenues not trickling down effectively to services for the majority of the population, many gaps in the country’s fabric still need plugging.

One of the gaps to be filled is the provision of a secure electricity supply to keep the lights on where the transmission system is functioning and to power plants for industrial and social development. Aggreko (OTC:ARGKF) (Glasgow, Scotland), the supplier of temporary power and temperature control solutions, has been awarded a contract by the country’s Empresa Nacional de Electricidade (ENE) to provide 90 megawatts (MW) of temporary power to supply the capital Luanda where the city’s central business district on the Atlantic coast and the unmapped shanty suburbs rustle with the sound of dollars and the buzz of deal-making. A throb in the air comes from countless small generator packs powering offices, dwellings and workshops.

The company already has 60 MW of temporary power serving Luanda for which the contract has been extended for a year. The additional 90 MW will be enough to supply the basic electricity needs of up to 4 million people, a spokesman said. Equipment for the new contract will be installed in phases with the first 30 MW scheduled for operation in December this year with the balance coming on stream during 2008. When the delivery is completed, the total value of the contract will be $45 million.

Thirty MW of the new contract will add to the existing 30 MW power station at Cezenga in Luanda, and the remaining 60 MW will be installed at two new sites. Eduardo Gomes Nelumba, Chairman of the board of ENE, said Aggreko was chosen for the contract because of the quality of its performance on the first installation. Aggreko has committed to support local communities and will continue to train local mechanical and electrical engineers to maintain and operate the equipment. With crucial demands placed on temporary power equipment, the company has on-site service and maintenance crews available 24/7 to ensure equipment is at peak performance levels and delivering uninterrupted power.

The company now has power supply units in 19 African countries, as governments and power utilities seek to plug the power gap created by strong economic growth. As in Angola, the temporary power supply buys time while permanent base-load power projects are under construction. The company designs and builds its own generators in Scotland.

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