Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation PJSC (Empower), the world’s largest district cooling services provider, signed an agreement with Sobha Realty, one of UAE’s leading premium real estate developers, to provide environmentally district cooling services to the developer’s mixed-use projects, most notably the Sobha Hartland master community with a capacity of 17,000 refrigeration tons (RT).
As part of the agreement between the two companies, Sobha Hartland will join Empower’s extensive district cooling portfolio and Empower will provide world-class district cooling services across eight buildings of Sobha Hartland project by extending the distribution network from company’s Meydan district cooling project. The agreement was signed by Ahmad bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, and Francis Alfred, Managing Director of Sobha Realty.
Empower will start serving the first two buildings during the current year, through a dedicated pipeline network to transmit and distribute district cooling energy extending from Empower’s Meydan plant, which has a cooling capacity of 45,000 RT and uses advanced technologies. The Meydan plant is a part of the Meydan master community district cooling project, which was acquired by Empower in 2021 through an agreement to supply the Meydan master community with 382,000 RT district cooling energy, covering 750 buildings in the city. Empower had also announced during the acquisition that it would build three new district cooling plants and a pipeline network to meet the required cooling energy through a total investment of more than Dh1.6 billion.
Sobha Hartland is an 8 million sq. ft waterfront community situated in the iconic Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City, with access to world-class amenities, restaurants, retail centres, educational and entertainment facilities.
Ahmad Bin Shafar said: “Adding Sobha Realty projects to Empower’s portfolio reflects the confidence of real estate developers and customers in our reliable services, and highlights Empower’s role in providing high quality district cooling services that save up to 50 per cent energy than traditional air conditioning systems.” He explained that Empower focuses on serving landmark real estate projects and aims to provide all sectors such as, residential, commercial, hospitality, healthcare, and others in Dubai with world-class environmentally friendly district cooling services, to support the pioneering role of the emirate in reducing carbon emissions, in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Commenting on the new collaboration, Francis Alfred said: “Our goal is to create a portfolio of buildings that reflect our commitment to sustainably constructed environment. In every phase of our projects, sustainability is a top priority, right from incorporating eco-friendly practices, materials, and technologies during the design stage to reducing carbon emissions and enhancing project efficiency during the execution stage. This collaboration is in line with our dedication to supporting the UAE’s sustainability-focused programmes, such as the Net Zero Strategic Initiative 2050. Our vision and approach clearly echo our unwavering commitment to imbibe key environmental and social metrics like energy, water, waste, wellness, community development, climate resilience, open spaces, among others, in all stages of construction. With this partnership, we are ensuring that we offer sustainable district cooling services to the residents of Sobha Hartland,” he added.
