Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) has completed a $16.3 million expansion of its district cooling plant in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), meeting its approved time plan for the project, it has announced.

According to a WAM report, the 62,000RT plant is now one of the largest operational district cooling plants in the region. The expansion includes the addition of six eco-friendly EcoWise Centrifugal Chillers by Trane, with each having a capacity of 3,150RT. These are designed to lower their environmental impact through the use of next-generation, low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants.

“The continuous demand for district cooling systems reflects confidence from real-estate owners and developers, and their awareness of the importance of efficient and environmentally responsible district cooling systems. District cooling systems have become an integral part of planning and designing modern buildings in Dubai,” said Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower.

The Dubai-based district cooling services provider currently operates more than 1.34 million RT, with plants in several large-scale real estate developments, including Jumeirah Group, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai International Financial Centre, Business Bay, Dubai Healthcare City, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Palm Jumeirah, Discovery Gardens, Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai Design District and International Media Production Zone.

Empower began operations in 2004 when it began supplying two buildings with district cooling systems. Since then, the number of buildings supplied reached 1,000 by the end of 2017. It currently operates 73 district cooling stations.

Empower also announced that it has supplied 40 new buildings, from January 2018 to June 2018, with environmentally responsible district cooling services, operating over 52,000 RT.