Annual electricity savings target of 420GWh exceeded through use of district cooling
The Association of District Cooling Operators Dubai was formed in October 2020 by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE)
At a meeting of the Association of District Cooling Operators Dubai, it was announced that nearly 650GWh of electricity savings were recorded in 2020 thanks to the use of district cooling in the emirate. This is in excess of the annual savings target of 420GWh.
According to a statement, the third meeting focused on pressing issues in the industry including the adoption of innovation and modern technologies in providing environmentally-friendly district cooling services to people in Dubai.
Ahmad bin Shafar, chairman of the Association and CEO of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) presided over the meeting. He was joined by Ahmed Butti Al Muhairbi, the Association’s secretary general, and the secretary general of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE). The meeting was attended by members of the association including Emaar District Cooling, Emirates District Cooling LLC (Emicool), National Central Cooling Company PJSC (Tabreed), Al-Futtaim Engineering, South Energy and Meydan, besides the DSCE and Regulatory and Supervisory Bureau (RSB) Dubai.
In addition to discussing ways to increase operational efficiency, the attendees agreed on the need to unite efforts and energies to enhance the industry’s performance locally and globally. The meeting highlighted the importance of such endeavors with the UAE’s district cooling market, which is ranked among the world’s largest markets with a capacity of more than three million refrigeration tons (RT), compared to nearly 700,000RT in the US market. The attendees also pledged to put in force the implementation of the recently promulgated Executive Council Resolution (ECR 6) of 2021 on District Cooling, the statement noted.
Bin Shafar highlighted that an innovation approach and adopting cutting-edge technologies have become inevitable to improve the performance of the sector, particularly aspects related to rationalising energy consumption, protecting natural resources and reducing the carbon footprint.
As part of its keenness to preserve natural resources, Bin Shafar said the association has formed a sub-committee to coordinate with government agencies, most notably the Dubai Municipality, with the aim of reaching a consensual vision on increasing the use of recycled water in district cooling operations.
