Aggreko Hosts OECD at Ivory Coast Power Facility

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, October 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Aggreko, the world leader in the provision of temporary power and temperature control services, recently welcomed a senior delegation from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) to the Aggreko power plant on the outskirts of the Ivorian capital, Abidjan. The 200 MW gas-powered facility plays an important role in supporting the local grid, providing a stable power supply to local businesses and households.

The OECD group were visiting the country for high level discussions with the government to help support the national strategy of developing Ivory Coast into a fully-fledged emergent economy by 2020. With access to reliable power being a fundamental requirement of a strong economy the group was keen to visit Aggreko, being the main Independent Power Producer in the county.

"Aggreko is proud of the role we play in supplying Ivory Coast with reliable energy. By supporting the national grid we are helping ensure key industries have access to the power they need to help build a solid and stable economy, while also bringing power to homes and small businesses," commented Christophe Jacquin, Managing Director, Aggreko North and West Africa. "Having the government bring such an important delegation to our facility is recognition of the important role we play in supporting the local economy."

Aggreko has maintained a presence in Ivory Coast since 2010 supporting CI Energies, the national utility with additional generating capacity to help power the country's rapidly growing economy. In 2013 Aggreko introduced the Aggreko Technical University training scheme in conjunction with CI Energies to support the development of the next generation of technicians and engineers for the Ivorian energy sector.

With more than 1.3 GW currently installed across 25 African countries, Aggreko is the largest supplier of fast-track temporary power to the continent. Aggreko first entered the African market in 1995 and since then has established a presence across the continent with service centres located in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Durban, Walvis Bay, Nairobi, Luanda and Lagos supported by regional hubs in Dubai and Paris. Across its African operations Aggreko employs in excess of 700 people with more than 90% of this workforce being African nationals.