District cooling services provider Empower has connected Dubai?s Emirates Towers to its network for a total capacity of 6,000 refrigeration tonne (RTI)
The two-storied complex comprises two towers ? the Emirates Office Tower and the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel. Empower has converted the buildings? existing air cooled system to a district cooling system. The new connection would result in energy savings for nearly 80 per cent of the property that?s owned by the Jumeirah Group, stated Empower officials.
Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, said, ?Building a green economy for sustainable development is key to the country?s roadmap to development under Vision 2021 and we are fully committed to achieving this goal. Our partnership with the Jumeirah Group is a key milestone as it marks the convergence of the real estate, hospitality and utilities sectors in creating projects that are sustainable and environmentally responsible. The conversion from traditional cooling to district cooling for this capacity is the first of its kind in Dubai and has set the benchmark for other developments utilising traditional systems of cooling.?
The new cooling system in the Emirates Towers will utilise 0.90 kW of electricity for every tonne per hour, compared to the property?s conventional cooling system that required 1.7 kW of energy every hour.
Construction on the Emirates Towers District Cooling infrastructure included connecting the property to Empower?s district cooling plant, serving the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), added Bin Shafar. Empower?s district cooling plant serving DIFC is across the street from the Emirates Towers and the connection to the Emirates Towers included building its network using advanced Non Destructive Road Crossing (NDRC) technology through micro-tunnelling. This would ensure that disturbance is avoided for traffic or commuters on one of the busiest roads in the area.
The two towers are 355 metres and 309 metres tall, and are considered among the tallest buildings in the world.
