Empower urges region to emulate Dubai in adopting district cooling at IDEA Conference in Toronto

Press release

Published June 28th, 2011 - 12:27 GMT

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower

Emirates Central Cooling Corporation (Empower), the leading district cooling service provider in the region which is a joint venture between TECOM Investments and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), recently participated at the International District Energy Association's (IDEA) Annual Conference in Toronto, Canada.

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, led the Empower delegation, along with Ramadurai Ramesh, CFO, Tariq Al Yasi, Chief Operations & Maintenance Officer, Abdullah Al Falasi, Operations Manager and Moustapha Assayed, Senior Engineering Manager.

At the conference, Bin Shafar highlighted the success of Dubai in adopting district cooling technology which has helped in conserving the environment resources, and urged countries in the Middle East to make it mandatory for real estate developers to use district cooling as their main cooling source in new real estate projects.

He added: “Dubai has succeeded because of its firm determination to widely use district technology which provides better cooling services while conserving the environment.”

Bin Shafar said: “This is the seventh consecutive time we participated in the annual IDEA conference that attracts a wide range of international companies from the district cooling field. We got to update ourselves on the latest practices on district cooling. Also, we shared our expertise with the peers from the district cooling industry.”

Bin Shafar emphasized: “District Cooling technology is considered an ideal economic and environmental solution for residential and commercial units, offices and hotels. We at Empower adopt a robust strategy to disseminate this technology which aims at preserving the environment and saving operational costs while providing quality services.”

IDEA is a non-profit trade association that annually hosts a conference and trade show to showcase latest technologies and equipment in the district energy industry. The annual event give attendees - including energy professionals, consultancies, government agencies and system developers - the opportunity to learn more about district cooling from a global perspective and meet with a variety of vendors and suppliers.

Bin Shafar added: “We are providing district cooling service to a wide array of projects in Dubai, including Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai Healthcare City, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Business Bay and City Of Arabia.”

Background Information

Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower)

Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (EMPOWER) was established in 2003 with an objective to enable the real estate sector to efficiently utilize energy resources through District Cooling Services (DCS). Empower was set up as a joint venture between Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and TECOM Investments a member of Dubai Holding through a Royal Decree issued by the Ruler of Dubai.

Company Profile

TECOM Investments

TECOM Group, (formerly known as TECOM Investments) a member of Dubai Holding, is a strategic business enabler that contributes to the realisation of Dubai’s economic aspirations, through the creation of sector-focused business communities and work environments that provide innovative ecosystems.

TECOM Group’s Business Communities reinforce Dubai’s position as a global hub for business and commerce. Covering six vibrant industry sectors, we offer a home in the region to 5,600 companies ranging from start-ups to multinational corporations with a total workforce of 90,000.

Company Profile

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) was formed on 1 January, 1992, by a decree issued by His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum to take over and merge the Dubai Electric Company and the Dubai Water Department that had been operating independently for several years until then.