Empower to Supply ‘One Za’abeel’ Iconic Building With 11,000 RT of District Cooling Services

Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), the world’s largest district cooling services provider, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ithra Dubai LLC, which is wholly owned by Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), to supply 11,000 Refrigeration Tonnes (RT) of district cooling services to ‘One Za’abeel’ , which is developed in proximity to Dubai World Trade Center. The MoU has been signed by Ahmad Bin Shafar, the CEO of Empower, and Issam Galadari, Director & Chief Executive Officer of Ithra Dubai L.L.C, at the Head Office of Ithra.

The ‘One Za’abeel project consists of two attached towers – 67 floors and 57 floors – piled on a retail platform with a suspended floor ‘The Lynx’, at a height of 100 meters. This unique floor will be a link between the two towers to offer visitors many attractive options from Michelin-starred restaurants, rests and others. The ground-floor retail podium, known as “The Gallery”, is a 3-storey store offering several shopping options that offer the perfect shopping experience as well as entertainment. In addition, ‘One Za’abeel’ will offer luxury residential and duplex apartments, as well as commercial space designed to suit the needs of prestigious offices and major corporate headquarters. The project includes luxury hotels that offer exceptional hospitality services to both business and leisure travelers.

Empower announced that the district cooling to this project will be connected from its DIFC cooling plant. The two cooling systems will be supplied in three phases, of which the first phase will be delivered in July 2019, and the project is expected to be completed in Q1 of 2020.

“Empower is proud to sign this agreement as we are committed to serve leading real estate projects in the Emirate. Adding ‘One Za’abeel’ to our portfolio reflects the confidence of real estate developers in district cooling systems and their role in promoting the concept of sustainable cities. This project sits between old and new Dubai, which will help sharing with the visitors a mixed experience of traditional as well as contemporary business styles of Dubai,” said Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower.

“We are happy to partner with Empower to further enhance the importance of this residential tourism project. This project provides investment opportunities for different segments of society and offers solutions that meet their residential, commercial, and recreational needs” said Issam Galadari, Director & Chief Executive Officer of Ithra Dubai L.L.C.

Galadari noted that district cooling systems are key for future cities, as they ensure the environmental sustainability of the project. This contributes to support Dubai’s leading role in reducing carbon emissions.

Bin Shafar stressed that district cooling systems have become an integral part of planning and designing modern buildings. He highlighted that district cooling systems use 50% less energy compared to conventional cooling systems.

Empower recently announced the completion of the expansion at its district cooling plant in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) to 62,000RT so as to make the plant one of the largest operational district cooling plants in the region.

Empower currently operates over 1.34 Million RT, providing environmentally responsible district cooling services to large-scale real estate developments, such as Jumeirah Group, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai International Financial Centre, Business Bay, Dubai Healthcare City, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Palm Jumeirah, Discovery Gardens, Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai Design District and International Media Production Zone, among others.