Francois Pienaar inaugurates Aggreko’s first service centre in
South Africa
- Aggreko officially opens first service centre in South
Africa
- Aggreko's initial investment in South Africa will be worth over
R85m
- Aggreko makes donation to Pienaar’s ‘Make A Difference’
Foundation
South Africa, 4th May 2009 – Aggreko, the global leader in the
provision of temporary power and temperature control services,
celebrated the opening of its first service centre in Midrand,
Johannesburg on the 4th May 2009.
The depot was officially inaugurated by Francois Pienaar,
captain of South Africa’s Rugby World Cup winning team, at an event
which gave media and local business people the opportunity to tour
the facility. The service centre represents an initial investment
by Aggreko of R85 million and underlines Aggreko’s belief that
economic growth in South Africa will result in strong demand for
temporary power in the country. The depot will provide temporary
power for manufacturing, shipping, process industries, mining and
construction industries, as well as for major sporting events. It
will also be ready to support utility power projects.
Aggreko has a long track record of providing power to major
sporting events worldwide. In the last twelve months, Aggreko has
delivered over 160 MVA of temporary power to the Beijing Olympics,
powered the European Football Championships, and has been selected
to supply the power for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In
January, Aggreko supplied the power for the Inauguration of
President Barack Obama,
During the opening ceremony, Rupert Soames, Group Chief
Executive of Aggreko plc, introduced the company and discussed the
reasons behind its decision to open a service centre in the region.
Also speaking at the event, Steve Aitken, Managing Director of
Aggreko Africa, highlighted the company’s previous decade of
experience in Africa where it is currently supplying nearly 1,000
MW of power across 17 countries.
Soames commented, saying: “The fact that we are making what is
by any standards a significant investment in South Africa,
underlines the confidence we have in the future development of the
economy, and we intend to use our base here as a hub from which we
can support our operations throughout Southern Africa.”
In a goodwill gesture signifying a long term commitment to South
Africa, a cheque for was presented to Francois Pienaar to support
his foundation, ‘Make A Difference’, which helps to provide
education for disadvantaged youths in South Africa.