Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation PJSC (Empower) has announced it has commenced construction of a new district cooling plant in Dubai’s Deira district.
The new plant will serve over 46 buildings within the Deira Waterfront development, part of the Deira Enrichment Project.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the world will see a threefold increase in air conditioner-related energy demand by 2050, while global air conditioner ownership will reach over 45 per cent by 2030.
The associated emissions increase of this growth is significant, and at the end of last year, nations pledged to slash cooling emissions by 68 per cent by 2050 to address this.
According to Empower, technologies such as Thermal Energy Storage (TES) will be used at the plant, which, it said optimises energy usage during on-peak and off-peak hours, while Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE), which helps conserve fresh water, will also be integrated into the plant.
“Our teams are increasing their efforts to provide reliable and high-quality district cooling services to customers across Dubai. Empower is committed to expanding its projects and operations to meet the growing demand for district cooling,” said HE Ahmad bin Shafar, Chief Executive Officer of Empower.
“These efforts will result in developing our infrastructure, expanding distribution networks, increasing the number of cooling plants, and targeting new areas to be covered by district cooling systems such as the Deira Waterfront. This will contribute to expanding our customer base to reach around 140,000 by the end of the year,” added Empower’s CEO.
The new district cooling plant will be completed in two phases, reaching a total production capacity of 39,000 refrigeration ton (RT).
The first phase, with a capacity of approximately 20,000 RT, is scheduled to become operational by the end of June 2025.