US Commerce Department honours UAE Military Works Directorate for pioneering district cooling use

The award was presented at the District Cooling Symposium organised by the Middle East Chapter of the US-based International District Energy Association (IDEA) held in Dubai.

IDEA works to advance global environmental quality through efficient district energy systems.

"The UAE DMW was Tabreed's first and is still our single largest customer that uses cooling services totalling more than 120,000 Tons of Refrigeration (TR)," said Dany Safi, CEO, Tabreed - the Middle East's award-winning district cooling pioneer.

"When we commenced operations in 1998, district cooling was an unknown technology in the region at that time. However, the Directorate and His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of The Executive Council, were convinced about district cooling's eco-friendly and energy-efficient features and decided to adopt it for their use. It was also the only technology that could provide such a massive amount of cooling from a single cooling plant."

"That start gave us the opportunity to plant the first seed for the Middle East's first district cooling plant and network. Since then, Tabreed has built 31 such cooling plants in the UAE and has established itself as the world's largest district cooling provider."

"We applaud the UAE DMW for their foresight and thank them for their faith in Tabreed and the technology," concluded Safi.

District cooling has since become the technology of choice for most major real estate and mixed-use developments being built in the UAE as well as the region. The UAE government's recent decision to adopt environmentally-friendly building solutions will serve as a further boost to promoting the technology in the country.

Accepting the award on behalf of the UAE DMW, Lt. Colonel Eng. Abdul Kareem Fadhel Al Subaihi said, "The Directorate is honoured to receive this award. District cooling technology, which has been used by the Zayed Military City, has been very reliable and efficient besides being a 'Green Technology'."

Tabreed, the Middle East's award-winning district cooling pioneer, has been at the forefront of the industry for almost a decade now and the company has completed major projects in the GCC as well as the wider Middle East.