International recognition for UAE’s District Cooling prowess

In what can be viewed as an endorsement of the UAE’s achievements in the District Cooling industry, three UAE District Cooling giants in the region, Dubai-based Emirates District Cooling (Emicool) and Empower, and the Abu-Dhabi-based National Central Cooling Company PJSC (Tabreed), walked away with multiple honours at the 105th annual International District Energy Association (IDEA) Conference and Trade Show in Seattle. The awards were won through competitive nominations from around the world.

Emicool received the Gold Award for the “Greatest number of buildings committed to district energy beyond North America” – its fourth consecutive win at the event, the company informed.

Adib Moubadder, CEO of Emicool, said: “We are redefining market norms in the local and global District Cooling industry. Emicool has rapidly gained market share as a top-tier District Cooling service provider in the region. It is a great honour that IDEA has recognised our efforts in providing chilled water for more than 17,000 customers.”

Empower, on its part, announced receiving the Gold Award in the “Total square footage committed to District Cooling services beyond North America” category and the Bronze award in the “Total number of buildings committed to district energy beyond North America” category, the latter, for the ninth time at the event, the announcement highlighted.

In another communiqué, Empower shared the news that Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, received the Unsung Hero Award at the event. He was reportedly recognised for his contributions in transforming Empower from a startup to the world’s largest District Cooling services provider over the last decade. Bin Shafar was instrumental in one of the largest acquisitions in the international District Cooling industry recently, as the company acquired Palm District Cooling in January, the communiqué added. The company’s portfolio now stands at an estimated one million Refrigeration Tonnes of cooling capacity, which is the largest of any single company in this sector, Empower claimed.

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, speaking about the company winning the awards, said: “This milestone reflects Empower’s successful strategy to maintain the perception of real estate developers regarding high standards of District Cooling services. District Cooling services have become environmentally and economically optimal solutions to be used in residential and commercial buildings, hotels and offices due to their significant efficiency in operational costs, maintenance and preservation of energy and environment protection.”

In the wake of the international recognition, Empower reiterated that Dubai hosting the next IDEA conference, bringing together 600 experts in December, would prove to be the ideal platform to showcase the district energy industry’s achievements.

Tabreed announced the news of it winning a Silver award each, in the “Total building area committed outside of North America” and the “Number of buildings connected to District Cooling outside of North America” (during the same year), category.

On the occasion, Jasim Husain Thabet, Tabreed’s CEO, said: “We are honoured to be recognised by the world’s leading district energy association for our achievements last year; 2013 saw Tabreed continue its strong performance and connect over 70,000 tonnes of cooling, including high-profile projects, such as Yas Mall, World Trade Center Mall and Saudi Aramco.

“In addition to delivering reliable year-round cooling to these critical projects, we were likewise able to make a significant contribution to our nation’s effort to reduce its carbon footprint. In 2013 alone, Tabreed’s energy savings reached 1.2 billion kilowatt hours, which translates into the elimination of approximately 570,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions – the equivalent to removing over 110,000 cars from the streets.”

Robert P Thornton, President and CEO of IDEA, on his part, lauded the accomplishments of Dubai and the UAE had in the District Cooling industry.