Empower to expand district cooling infrastructure to meet rising demand in Dubai

Empower to expand district cooling infrastructure to meet rising demand in Dubai

Total district cooling provided by Empower reached 40 million sq. ft. in 2009

Dubai, UAE, 27 January, 2010: Emirates Central Cooling Corporation (Empower), the TECOM-DEWA joint venture that has emerged as the largest district cooling service provider in the region, has announced expansion plans to meet the rising demand for district cooling.
The announcement comes at a time when total square footage committed to district cooling provided by the company reached 40 million sq. ft covering 80 buildings in 2009.
The plans included bidding for more projects which are keen to gain from the benefits delivered by district cooling and its environment-friendly features.

Demand for district cooling has been increasing rapidly in the last decade. In the UAE, it was firstly used in the 1970s at the Dubai International Airport. It started being adopted commercially in 1998 with the real estate boom in the country. The adoption rate in this technology has remarkably increased in the past five years especially amongst large scale projects.
Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower said: “We succeeded in building world class district cooling infrastructure that is considered an ideal economic and environmental solution for residential and commercial units, offices and hotels.”
In Dubai, residential units are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of using district cooling system as an alternative to conventional AC systems, leading to energy saving and environment conservation, as well as lower operations and maintenance costs. This is in sharp contrast to lower awareness of its importance in other parts of the Middle East.”
The operational savings percentage in a residential unit compared with conventional AC technologies ranges between 40 and 45 per cent.

Empower was created to provide energy-efficient district cooling services to large-scale real estate developments. The company unveiled plans to diversify into other energy efficiency and conservation services.

Bin Shafar added: “DCS achieves economies of scale by using centralized plants instead of individual cooling units in each building. The centralized system results in less capital and operating costs, thus reducing air-conditioning set-up and energy costs per building.”

The Dubai based company tops the list of companies providing district cooling service in the region. It adopts a clear strategy to preserve environment through aggressively disseminating this technology and conducting campaigns to highlight its strategic value in the short and long run to the people and the society in general.

Empower is providing district cooling service to a wide array of projects in Dubai, including Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai Healthcare City, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Culture City, Business Bay and City Of Arabia.

Empower's district cooling systems (DCS) provide effective and efficient means of air conditioning. Water is cooled in central plants and distributed through a network of piping systems to individual customer buildings.

About Empower:
Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) is a joint venture between Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone (TECOM) Investments and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), created to provide energy-efficient district cooling services to large-scale real estate developments. Empower plans to diversify into other energy efficiency and conservation services. Empower's district cooling systems (DCS) provide effective and efficient means of air conditioning. Water is cooled in central plants and distributed through a network of piping systems to individual customer buildings. DCS achieves economies of scale by using centralised plants instead of individual cooling units in each building. The centralised system results in reduced capital and operating costs, thus reducing air-conditioning set-up and energy costs per building. Empower is set to become one of the largest district cooling companies in the region.