Attributed to increase in occupancy in key residential areas and recovery of Dubai’s commercial sector

Empower, the district cooling provider, has announced a 5.2% increase in peak consumption in July, with the total standing at 83,447,361 Refrigeration Tonnes (RT) per hour compared with 79,310,340 RT per hour for the same month in 2012.

Ahmad bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, attributed the growth to three key drivers: the increase in occupancy in residential areas such as Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR), Al Khail Gate, Ghuroob Mirdif and Tecom C, which led to an increase of 4.5% in district cooling consumption; an increase in the number of new buildings receiving Empower’s service in Business Bay; and the increase in occupancy in commercial buildings which led to a 7.4% increase in district cooling consumption.

“These figures are extremely encouraging and clearly reflect a return to recovery in commercial areas in Dubai, said bin Shafar. “Empower is fully ready to meet the increasing demand for its services through developing new plants to increase our production capacity significantly. The rising preference of district cooling solutions in Dubai further establishes the Emirate’s leading international role as an advocate of green building solutions, such as district cooling.”

Empower revealed that it is currently developing its second district cooling plant in Business Bay, which will have an ultimate capacity of 45,000 RT when complete in mid-2014. This plant is expected to meet the forecast rise in cooling demand in the area, and will also be the first district cooling plant in the region to be built in line with Green Building principles, it added.