First phase of district cooling system expansion project at King Abdul-Aziz International airport to begin

According to a news item that appeared in the Arab News and posted on the Zawya website, February 7, 2013, MFRI has announced that its Perma-Pipe Saudi Arabia subsidiary has received new orders exceeding USD 27 million for the first phase of the district cooling system expansion project at King Abdul-Aziz International (KAIA) airport in Jeddah, claimed to be one of the largest projects in the recent history of Saudi Arabia. These orders are reportedly in addition to the USD 23 million that the company has announced earlier, bringing the total of major project work in Saudi Arabia to nearly USD 50 million.

MFRI, a multi-line company engaged in businesses such as pre-insulated specialty piping systems for oil and gas gathering, district heating and cooling and other applications, gave details of the mega project, as per the news release:

The passenger terminal complex comprises an area over 6.7 million ft2 (622,000 m2) with 46 gates, 96 boarding bridges, including double deck access for the A380 Airbus.

The total facilities span over 25,000 acres (100 km2) including the chilled water distribution system, utility plants, utility tunnel, plant nursery, and transportation centre with integrated rail station.

Speaking about his company being awarded the project, Fati Elgendy, President, Perma-Pipe, reportedly said: “This order represents a further validation of our strategy to expand our footprint to the rapidly developing Saudi market. Delivery is expected to start in the first fiscal quarter of 2013 and be completed in the fourth quarter. We plan to produce the insulated pipe, spools and fittings at our new factory in Dammam, with important support from our UAE factory. Our team has been working for over one year, pursuing this very prestigious order. The KAIA project positions us very well for a strong 2013 in the Middle East.”

Bradley Mautner, CEO of MFRI, is said to have added: “The Jeddah Airport is the largest single project we have received since we started our business activities in the Middle East some seven years ago. Perma-Pipe has already successfully completed the supply of insulated piping systems to several other major airports in the UAE, Qatar, and Oman. Our best-in-class products, engineering skills and support services have proven to be a successful formula in establishing Perma-Pipe as the market leader in the region.”