Ahmad Bin Shafar

DUBAI, UAE, 25 August 2019: Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) has awarded contracts worth AED 33 million to expand its District Cooling pipe network at Dubai Studio City, the utility company said through a Press release. The network expansion is a part of the company’s infrastructure-development plan to meet the increasing demand for cooling services in Dubai’s growing commercial and residential sector, the release said.

The pipeline extension work constitutes Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the project underway in Dubai Studio City, and will span a distance of five kilometres, the release said. Empower expects to complete Phase 2 of the work by Q4 2019, and Phase 3 by Q2 2020, the release said, adding that Phase 3 involves extending the pipeline by 3.5 kilometres. The newly extended network will be connected to a semi-permanent plant in the same area, the release further added.

“The pipe network for providing district cooling services is expanding year after year, especially with the booming of real estate projects in Dubai,” said Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO, Empower. “The extension will be made by using the latest technologies, which will help for an uninterrupted delivery of services to customers.

“We always seek to develop our infrastructure using the latest technologies, to achieve the best results from district cooling, align with global standards and achieve the objectives of the Dubai Plan 2021, where infrastructure is the most important pillar.”

Empower is involved in the implementation of several sustainability strategies, notably the UAE Vision 2021 and the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, which seeks to increase the contribution of clean energy in the total energy mix to 50%, the National Climate Change Plan 2017-2050, and the long-term national initiative to build a green economy in the UAE, under the slogan ‘A green economy for sustainable development’, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the release quoted Bin Shafar as saying.

Dubai Studio City spans 22 million square feet within Dubailand and includes three types of production studios – music, film and television, the release said. The city includes residential complexes and a studio complex, which is designed according to the highest international standards, the release said. The city is home to 14 residential studios, ranging from 15,000 to 50,000 square feet, supported by vast outdoor photography areas of about 4.3 million square feet, the release said. It also includes a complex of boutique studios, the release added, which are small independent production and television broadcasting units.