Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed unveils design of new Empower plant in Business Bay

Dubai, April 16, 2013 (WAM) - H.H Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of the Emirates Group, unveiled Empower's newest district cooling plant in Business Bay, during the opening ceremony of DEWA's 15th annual Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX), the region's premier platform for the water and energy sector. A scale model of Empower's new facility, which is heralded as the "greenest" plant of its kind in the region, will be showcased at WETEX, which runs until April 17 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The new cooling plant, which is the first district cooling plant to implement the Dubai Executive Council's guidelines on environmental sustainability, will provide residential and commercial towers with 50,000 refrigeration tonnes (RT) of cooling, with an output of 10,000 RT through thermal storage. Dubai Business Bay, a fully integrated residential and commercial community developed by Dubai Property Group, covers a total area of 5,900,000 square metres. Empower's new plant in Business Bay is an ideal environmentally friendly cooling solution, as it only requires 0.9 KW to produce one RT of cooling, compared to traditional non-district cooling systems that require up to 1.8 KW of energy every hour. Nearly 10,000 RTs of chilled water will be stored in two tanks, which will serve the plant's requirements during peak hours. Ahmed bin Shafar, Empower's CEO, highlighted the unveiling of the new plant's design as a reflection of the company's focus on environmental sustainability. "Empower seeks to accelerate the pace of replacing traditional systems with new environmentally friendly technology, which will conserve precious water resources and decrease our carbon footprint," said bin Shafar. "This new plant reflects Empower's continued commitment to the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to use the most energy efficient technologies available." "By utilising reverse osmosis technology," he continued. "We are treating waste water that is provided to us by Dubai Municipality. This technology allows Empower to provide district cooling solutions that are in line with Dubai Government's long-term strategy to conserve water and reduce consumption of desalinated water." In addition to Business Bay, Empower currently operates district cooling services at several prominent developments in Dubai, including Dubai International Finance Centre, Dubai Healthcare City and Jumeirah Beach Residence. Empower is a joint venture between DEWA and Dubai Technology '&' Media Free Zone. – Emirates News Agency, WAM