Powering the Beijing Olympics
Powering up the Beijing Olympics
- The Challenge
Provide power and lighting for 37 venues during the Olympic Games
- The Solution
Venue-specific packages delivering a total of 130 MW of power
- The Impact
3,600 hours of coverage making the Games an outstanding success
Client:Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG)
Location:Beijing, China
Sectors:Events
The Challenge
Powering 37 Olympic venues
National pride was at stake when China hosted its first Olympic Games, and there would be no compromise on power, lights or spectacle. We were overjoyed to be providing power for the Games, but knew it would require a gold-medal-winning performance.
The challenge would be to coordinate power across 37 locations in three different cities, and deliver on our promise of 3,600 hours of uninterrupted coverage so that every moment of Olympic action could be transmitted. It would take two years of planning, expert staff, attention to detail and a fleet of high quality equipment.
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The Solution
A total power package of 130 MW
We worked closely with the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) to provide 130 MW of power to the 37 venues, each of which had its own unique requirements. We designed, installed and commissioned a power system that included 307 generators, 1,573 distribution boards and 407 km of cable, all synchronised with the local grid.
More than 30 MW was for the International Broadcasting Centre (IBC) alone, which needed high-quality uninterrupted power. Broadcast license holders demanded a power supply without the fluctuations or surges that could cause noise and flickering. They wanted crystal clear transmission to more than four billion viewers worldwide.