As part of our report regarding air conditioning in the athletes’ village first being cut, then being reinstated by Rio 2016 organizers, we also pointed to a looming issue regarding the provider of overall electricity at the Olympic Games.
Included in our report from December 3rd was the fact that Rio organizers have yet to sign a contract with a private energy supplier, leaving the use of temporary generators as the contingency plan. However, the electricity company Aggreko, who would have also provided the aforementioned generators, has reportedly pulled out of the contract bidding.
The role of electricity supplier is, as one would expect, a vital part of a successful Olympic Games. Contracts typically include the guarantee of a stable and secure energy supply for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the myriad of broadcasting support needed.
Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada told Reuters that he is “confident in the abilities of the companies still in contention” for the job, although Aggreko was indeed the power supplier for both the 2008 Games in Beijing and the 2012 Games in London, as well as the 2014 Commonwealth Games in its home base city of Glasgow, Scotland.
Why did Aggreko pull out of the power provider candidacy? No one is 100% sure, although industry experts suggest that they had “tired of 2-year-old negotiations, as well as constant changes in both the scope of the Olympic Games tender and who would be paying – the government or the organizing committee.” Ironically, industry experts also say that whoever ends up winning the electricity bid would have to turn back to Aggreko and actually lease generators from them.
Obviously this issue doesn’t bode well for an Olympic Games already under fire for pollution concerns and overall budget issues. For perspective, London 2012’s electricity partner was determined 20 months before that edition of the Games began, but here we are just 8 months out from Rio and the bidding process is still underway.
Maybe the elephant in the room is that the Olympics are too bloated now, notwithstanding the IOC’s ridiculous standards for officials’ room, board, transport, etc. No host city can stand up to the financial and organizational demands; host countries take their place now, really. It’s not Rio; it’s Brazil. It won’t be LA; it has to be California or the USA.
Having worked full time for the Host Broadcaster between 2008 to 2014 and long term games to games contracts for Sydney, Salt Lake, Athens, Torino and Beijing I will tally this – For 2016 its Rio or bust, more likely the latter. There is no moving the games now, this would have at least needed to be addressed 3 years ago. If you think graft is abundant at FIFA, these guys make Blattner look like a serf.
LA is a shoo in – The IOC needs some credibility and after how they torpedoed Chicagos bid over a revenue agreement they themselves agreed to in 84 to “save” the games, these eurotrash egomaniacs in turn humiliated our President ( whether you… Read more »
It is all theoretical . There is only so much a nation can take . In 2009 the GFC , a trillion $ unfunded war on 2 fronts , War on Terror , War on Drugs & in succession never ending agitations on the socio -economic front that is straining the foundations .
I really think an OLYMPICS would have been too much to bear.
LA could do it. Existing venues can easily handle the Olympics. The Olympic village would be the only challenge, but with cooperation from some universities (UCLA dorms, other universities?) I would bet possible.
I know it is a shot-gun reply, but a Rio games at this point is a mistake. Better to have a quick change games than this. Athens — great point. Those were the just-in-time games financially and construction wise. Rio doesn’t have a chance to get what is needed done. They lack the organization and the financing isn’t there even if they could get a plan together. Again, just can’t believe the IOC let the garden hose run for this long without doing intermediate audits of… Read more »
Rio certainly looks to be a poor choice but realistically its too late to effect a switch.
I’m not buying your LA proposition
Firstly you’d need to either get a waiver from FINA/IOC regarding an outdoor pool or find some sort of temporary roof for whichever college pool you wish to use. The LA 2024 bid calls for a new facility to be built.
You’d then have to get any number of temporary facilities in place in less than 9 months. There will probably have to be works on various existing arenas that you intend using. Add onto that having to free up those arenas you intend utilising which will almost certainly entail how many millions in compensation to those… Read more »
Adele has the Staples center for 6 nights next August already sold out this AM. Everything else of any size is already booked up for certain. Not to mention the contracts with RIO and the money spent on facilities and the tickets have been sold already etc
But my idea for swimming is definitely a temporary pool put in the Rose Bowl. They could sell 80,000 tickets per a session and give Phelps a proper send-off. The other idea that could possibly work in a pinch is to use the entire state of CA for all the venue locations and then maybe it would work if they had about 2 years to plan and they didn’t mind everything being… Read more »
Rose Bowl is what the LA bid folk have down as their main football stadium. Mind you that sport needs to be spread over a number of other stadiums outside of LA. Those named in the bid are in San Jose, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Denver. They or any others they would be seeking to use would have to be freed up and more potential settlements with displaced bookings.
Not a cheap proposition even if faintly possible which it most likely isn’t
Rio is basically Sochi
No, Rio is not Sochi. Sochi had money and gobs of it. If there was a problem in Sochi, money would get thrown at it until the problem went away.
Rio is like a very – very, very – bad Athens. No money and nobody wants the Games.
This one’s going to be a clanger, folks.
They’ve spent two years wondering if the government or the Olympic committee would be paying? Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows neither CAN pay. Oil prices breaking new 5+ year lows only cements this with certainty.
How did the IOC let it go this long and this far out of control. At this point Rio is the Dumpster Fire Games. The earlier suggested comments to go all in to make the logistics work for a second London games makes perfect sense. Just take the games to a place where the infrastructure is reliably in place. Rio has already failed. It is time to stop it out.
Sorry Joel but it may already be too late for an easy throw-back to London.
Whilst some facilities are certainly “ready to go and others can be easily scaled-up with temporary seating”:
– the re-development of the Olympic Stadium is well underway.
– whilst the Aquatic Centre could most certainly be used, the facility itself has been reconstructed with the capacity reduced massively down from 17500 to 3500 max.
– the basketball arena & the water polo venues were both temporary facilities and have been dismantled.
It’s probably 12 months too late to pull an easy or even workable switch to London or to any other previous host.
Plus the accom was all sold to some favourite Emir at basement prices . Try & house 20 ,000 ppl in London today . It might be cheaper to send them off with the First British Spaceman & pay Elton John to write a song for them.
As for great London management , the security firm was sacked just weeks before because the locals thought the personnel were indistinguishable from the terrorists. The army was brought in & housed in tents & forced to look mean. Then Dave sacked 20,000 of them.
No Olympics comes up smelling roses .
Seems obvious Aggreko is worried about getting paid for the job and the fact that the clock was ticking on getting everything set up properly and according to spec. the longer they wait the more costly it will be and they are probably already past the point of it being an easy set up. Swim finals by candle light…how romantic
i guess i don’t understand how electricity is created and delivered. How can a company provide this? do they build a nuclear facility? put up wind turbines? or is it a matter of upgrading and overseeing the existing supply of electricity?
Events like the Olympics have requirements for secure power supply external from the existing grid. This becomes a critical issue in places like Rio where the grid in place is not terribly reliable and would struggle to take on the extra load associated with the event.
Each venue – and the athlete’s village & broadcasting centre – will have a set of generators, likely diesel or natural gas fired, that will be in place to provide auxiliary power in the event of an outage in the domestic grid and/or if the demand in that venue exceeds a certain draw.
Ensuring a secure and consistent power supply is one of those things in events like the Olympics that the public is… Read more »
Aggrekko was no match for Beyonce’s thunder thighs at the Superdome . People in huts around the globe watching a blank tv screen .
“Wh’ahappened? Awwh nothing just Great White Man electricity kapoot . But isn’t Aggrekko there? Yes but it’s N’Orleans . No one can round up cats .”
It was the local utility company’s electrical switch that failed (see numerous news stories) not Aggreko.