In yet another sign of astonishing progress in UAE’s real estate and construction sectors, the world’s largest chiller modules are being shipped to Dubai by internationally renowned engineering and construction firm, The Stellar Group. The modules will be part of the largest district cooling system, the first phase of which is worth over AED 340 million that is being set up by Palm District Cooling at the Jumeirah Lake Towers project of leading property developer, Nakheel.
The first shipment of the modules has already left the U.S., and will arrive in Dubai this month for immediate installation and operation. Simultaneously, in an effort to fast track the project to be operational as quickly as possible, the building shells to house the modules are being erected on-site at the Jumeirah Lake Towers.
The Dubai-based Palm District Cooling (PDC) awarded Stellar Group LLC the contract to build three district cooling plants at the Jumeirah Lake Towers, and also design and build a number of district cooling systems for the Palm Jumeirah island, another Nakheel project. Stellar will be building the cooling plants on the Trunk of the Palm Jumeirah.
Trevor S. Richter, Director of Business Development, The Stellar Group, said: “We are excited by the opportunity to apply our district cooling system engineering and construction expertise to huge residential and commercial projects in the Gulf Region. We have established a permanent presence in the region via our regional office in Dubai and have a focused local team to deliver turnkey district cooling systems solutions like the Jumeirah Lake Towers Project. We are particularly proud of our unique modular design concept that has been adopted by Palm District Cooling for the Jumeirah Lake Towers and The Palm Jumeirah Projects. The modular design is extremely energy efficient and in the case of JLT, requires 40% less space than traditionally designed systems.”
In all of its cooling plant projects in Dubai, Stellar will be using its trademark modular concept known as “Plug and Chill” that it has successfully implemented in several of its project around the world. The district cooling projects for Jumeirah Lake Towers and the Palm Jumeirah are the largest of their kind in the world. District cooling is the centralised production of chilled water that is then distributed via a network of underground pipes to multiple users for cooling applications such as air-conditioning.
The three cooling plants that are being built by Stellar have a capacity of 35,000 tons, 28,000 tons and 42,000 tons respectively, and when the first phase of the project is completed in mid-2006, the system at total build-out will provide roughly 140,000 tons of refrigeration to cool 69 high rise towers currently under development at Jumeirah Lake Towers.
Mr. Richter added: “Stellar’s district cooling systems are designed for maximum flexibility, and are aimed at minimising engineering and construction costs while at the same time meeting delivery deadlines. As more and more new buildings are being commissioned at the Jumeirah Lake Towers, we are working to a strict schedule to ensure we can match load demands. It is estimated that the district cooling system provided by Stellar will use up to 45 percent less energy than traditional air-conditioning units found in residential homes”.
Mr. Keith Levers, CEO of Palm District Cooling, said: “Excellent progress has been made in the district cooling system that is being constructed at the Jumeirah Lake Towers by our strategic partners, The Stellar Group, a world leader in its field. District cooling systems are a better alternative to the traditional cooling plants because of lesser operating costs and benefits such as less energy wastage. The United Arab Emirates supports district cooling as an environmentally friendly and energy efficient source of air-conditioning and Palm District Cooling is happy to bring cutting-edge technology and international expertise to this part of the world, as a further boost to the booming real estate and construction sectors in the UAE”.
