Chinese sports star Li Ning lights the Olympic torch at the opening ceremonies of the Summer Games, Aug. 8 in Beijing.

Veteran event supplier Aggreko, based in Scotland, played a major role in supporting the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing on Aug. 8, with some 91,000 guests in attendance and 4 billion worldwide viewing the broadcast.

Aggreko was responsible for the power supply to both the National Stadium and the International Broadcast Center, which transmitted the ceremony. Under the contract to supply temporary power to the Olympics, Aggreko will provide 140 megawatts of power across 37 Olympic venues in three cities: Beijing, Qingdao and Hong Kong.

The power, enough to supply over 150,000 homes, will be provided by generators located at each venue and distributed through over 290 miles of cable and 2,000 distribution panels, the company said. Aggreko is employing around 200 staff on the contract, many of whom have been recruited in China, to install, maintain and operate the equipment.

"Watching the ceremony was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and the enjoyment of the spectacle was enhanced by knowing that Aggreko was a key part of the infrastructure," said Aggreko chief executive Rupert Soames. "We now look forward to supporting the Games themselves."

While organizers of the opening ceremonies have suffered from criticism in light of revelations including the broadcast of prerecorded fireworks and a child performer who lip-synched to the singing of a less attractive girl, the response to the cremonies overall has been strongly positive. Vok Dams Group CEO Colja Dams tells Special Events, "This was by far the best live event I ever attended."

Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images