Empower steers global district cooling sector reflecting Dubai’s pioneering position

HE Ahmad Bin Shafar, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), the world’s largest district cooling services provider, has hailed the ranking of Dubai as one of the top 5 models of 'Cities of the Future' by the International Real Estate Federation. Bin Shafar says that this recognises the international standards of urban planning in Dubai, including implementation of highest standards of sustainability, smart cities and financial vibrancy.

Bin Shafar said, this global achievement was the result of the vision and guidance of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President andPrime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who launchedsignificant initiatives with regards to the environmental sustainability, Smart Cities and knowledge-based economy.

“The urban planning in Dubai is among the best in the world, which makes the Emirate an ideal city for living, work and tourism. The sustainability criteria, combined with economic diversification,have formed an attractive hub not onlyfor the Middle East but also for Asia and Africa. Dubai excels in infrastructure andquality services, withworld-class district cooling services as one of the best environmental sustainability practices.Empoweris currently supporting many cities in the world to adopt this technology under the supervision of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),” he added.

“Dubai is now beyond the stage of following the standards of the 'Cities of the Future', as it is setting new benchmarks. It has redefined sustainability, urban planning, smart city transformation, and knowledge-based economy concepts. The planned sub-communities within the city of Dubai have led to deliver better services, making the service available by service providers without duplicating efforts. For example,Empower offers district cooling services for large areas across Dubai, and due to the developed urban infrastructure and adherence to green standards, we succeeded in becoming the world’s largest district cooling company.”

Earlier this year, Danielle Grossenbacher, the World President of The International Real Estate Federation said that Dubai ranks among one of the top 5 models of 'Cities of the Future', adding that it is a typical example of great cities that apply sustainability criteria andfinancial vibrancy with ability to face challenges.

Bin Shafar pointed out that such international rankings increasingly put the responsibility on all organisations working in energy in Dubai to adopt green sustainable solutions, implement the vision of the government, and promote their success regionally and globally. 

“We have seen a qualitative shift in the growth of district cooling industry in the UAE. We have raisedthe efficiency of energy resources consumption, reduced wastage rates, developed a monitoring and measurement system, and achieved significant savings through our energy conservation campaigns. Empower’s environmental sustainability solutions went even further by switching to Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) system, saving millions of gallons of fresh water. We also developed a technology to re-use the water in order to achieve higher efficiency and reliability in district cooling operations.”

“Some believe that implementing sustainability is costly and could lower the quality of service, but quite astonishingly, it has proven to be a feasible investment in the medium and long run. Sustainability is a new business approach in line with global requirements. It raises investment efficiency and provides higher ROI. We have seen thisat close range in our sustainable transformation across Dubai,” concluded Bin Shafar.

Empower currently operates more than 1 Million RT, providing environmentally responsible district cooling services to large-scale real estate developments, such as Jumeirah Group, Business Bay, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai International Financial Centre, Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Ibn Battuta Mall, Discovery Gardens, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai World Trade Centre Residences and Dubai Design District, among others.