DUBAI, UAE, 18 April 2023: Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) has announced the launch of a modernisation and upgradation project for the Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) District Cooling Plant, in Dubai. Making the announcement through a Press release, Empower said the project will incorporate cutting-edge technologies to improve the energy efficiency and reliability of the cooling system. The contract for the project has been awarded at a value of AED 102 million and is expected to be completed by 2025, Empower said.

The initiative marks the third upgrade of the District Cooling Plant in the 19 years since its initial launch, Empower said. The upgrade will bring the plant up to the next generation of District Cooling systems and ensure that the JBR and Blue Waters areas continue to receive high-quality cooling services, it added.

Caption: H.E. Ahmad Bin Shafar

According to Empower, the JBR plant was modernised for the first time in 2016 using Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) technology. The second modernisation involved adding Thermal Energy Storage (TSE) tanks with an additional capacity of 10,000 refrigeration tons (RT) of cooling, Empower said. The third modernisation will involve upgrading the cooling towers for greater efficiency, Empower added.

The modernisation and upgradation initiative and operations are part of the company’s strategy to advance District Cooling infrastructure in Dubai and will bear many fruits, securing high quality environmentally friendly District Cooling services and, most notably, making JBR one of the largest environmentally friendly residential areas in the world, Empower said. The upgrading processes would also contribute to achieving huge savings in energy, increasing efficiency, significantly reducing carbon emissions, and relieving pressure on the national power grid, Empower said.

H.E. Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO, Empower, said, “The modernization project of the JBR plant is part of a pre-set plan to upgrade the infrastructure of all Empower plants in Dubai.” He explained that leveraging the latest technologies in the District Cooling industry reflects the company’s keenness to achieve the ultimate goal, which is to make Dubai the city with the least carbon footprint in the world, in line with the directives of the wise leadership to achieve the outputs of the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050.

The JBR plant serves millions of tourists, visitors and residents, as the JBR and Bluewaters developments are among the largest environmentally friendly residential areas in the world, Empower said. Also, the plant serves many mega buildings and nearly 19 luxury hotels, most notably the Caesars Palace Hotel, Address Beach Resort, Mövenpick Hotel, The Marriott Hotel, DoubleTree by Hilton, The Hilton and Rotana Hotel, in addition to Ain Dubai, the tallest observation wheel in the world and the Madame Tussauds Museum.