DEWA and the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone launch joint venture firm

Created as part of the Dubai Government's efforts to enhance the infrastructure for the emirate and the UAE, Empower will be a 50-50 JV project of the Free Zone and DEWA. The project's focus is primarily on helping real-estate developments efficiently utilize energy resources.

Combining the project management and business development expertise of the Free Zone and DEWA's vast experience in providing utility services, Empower has been launched with an initial capitalization of Dhs500 million. Empower will initially focus on offering District Cooling services and providing cost-effective chilled water to real estate developments. Subsequently Empower will diversify into other related energy efficient services.

District Cooling System (DCS) is an effective and efficient system of air conditioning which allows for central plants to cool water and distribute it through a network of piping systems to individual customer buildings. DCS achieves economies of scale due to the set up of centralized plants instead of individual air-cooled plants in each building. The centralized system results in reduced capital and operating costs, thus reducing air-conditioning set-up and energy costs per building.

Empower's District Cooling System is a considerably more cost-efficient alternative to the air-cooled chiller systems serving large buildings and real-estate developments. It is estimated that chiller plants account for up to 70 per cent of electricity usage in large buildings.

With DCS, building owners can reduce electricity usage substantially. Additionally there are cost savings and other benefits from reduced maintenance, enhanced efficiency and reliability, space savings, flexibility of air-conditioning load and a plant life that is twice that of traditional plants.

Efficient use of energy also makes it environmentally friendly. Added to this is the fact that DCS enables the use of alternative and cheaper energy fuels.

"The establishment of Empower is part of our efforts to develop a complete and integrated infrastructure for the development of Dubai," said Ahmad Bin Byat, Chairman of Empower and Director General of the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone. "With cost efficiency becoming a huge driver of economic performance, Empower's energy-efficient services can contribute to boosting the bottom line of companies in all sectors. The varied benefits that efficient energy use can bring for real estate developers, building owners and end users will have huge spin-offs for the growth of Dubai. Together with the vast expertise of DEWA in providing utility services, we believe this joint venture can go a long way in fulfilling these objectives," he added.

"We are extremely glad to join forces with the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone to embark on a project aimed at enhancing energy efficiency practices in Dubai and eventually spreading our competencies and practices across the entire region," said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice-Chairman Empower and General Manager, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. "This venture gives us an opportunity to play a greater role in the development of Dubai's 2010 vision. We bring to this project our technological expertise in providing utility services and using environmentally friendly systems as well as our long experience in delivering these services to the end user," he added.

DCS benefits not only tenants, building owners, large developers and property management companies but also local governments, utility providers and the environmentalists. DCS has multiple industry established benefits and a highly positive overall impact on the competitiveness of national economies. Empower will have an initial captive capacity in excess of 400,000 tons with its first plant currently being constructed adjacent to the Jumeirah Beach Residence property.