International District Energy Association endorses Qatar Cool's 10 year achievement

Qatar Cool's world class Integrated District Cooling Plant on The Pearl-Qatar was the setting of the 10 year milestone event for the company, which celebrated in style with a unique reception inside the heart of their operations.

This celebration marked their 10 years in the district cooling industry in Qatar, from the first breaking of ground to building the world's largest district cooling plant and becoming an international leader in technology and knowledge transfer.

Qatar Cool CEO Mr. Fayad Al Khatib hosted the night, reflecting on his time with the company and thanking the leadership of Qatar and Qatar Cool for their vision and foresight into bringing this sustainable and necessary technology to Qatar.

Speeches on the night echoed Al Khatib's remarks. Chairman of Qatar Cool, Omar Al Fardan addressed the attendees saying, "We strongly believe that for any project to succeed we need to spend 90% of our time on planning and 10% on implementation. That early part of planning and research time that was spent, allowed us to form the partnerships that then created Qatar District Cooling Company."

He added that, "The higher authorities believed in our abilities to deliver. We were and still are committed; we promised, planned, produced, and delivered."

Rob Thornton, President of IDEA recorded a special note via video where he applauded Qatar Cool and Doha on coming such a long way in such a short space of time saying, "These investments are critical to a more sustainable economy. Doha is ahead of the curve. Qatar Cool's commitment to best practice, safety and employee training, efficiency and conservation, customer service, and commitment to quality from top management downwards is what makes them an industry leader."

He added that, "We work with the International Energy Association, the United States Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Clinton Climate Initiative as a means to increase awareness of district energy. We need to have a plan to make our energy investments and cities more durable, resilient and sustainable and I believe Qatar Cool is doing just that."

IDEA - a non-profit trade association that supports the growth and utilization of district energy as a means to conserve fuel, in¬crease energy efficiency and reduce emissions to improve the global environment - awarded Qatar Cool with their System of The Year Award in 2012. This is the highest honour IDEA can confer on a district energy system and the first time it was won by a system outside of the USA.