DUBAI — Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (EMPOWER), the world's largest district cooling services provider, achieved savings of 194 million imperial gallons of fresh water in 2014, enough to fill 354 Olympic swimming pools. The achievement is in line with the directive of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, stipulating that district cooling companies must opt for sea water, grey water or treated sewage effluents (TSE) as opposed to desalinated water, and as part of preserving the water resources in Dubai and synchronizing with the National Strategy for Sustainable Development. Thus, the company has succeeded in reducing the consumption of fresh water in their production processes and is working toward further reductions, according to Ahmad Bin Shafar, chief executive officer of Empower. The reduced usage of water was the result of using TSE water resources in cooling operations. Moreover, as a proactive step, Empower switched to TSE water in all other older plants as part of the strategic plan of Dubai to save priceless fresh water. Empower said the achievement demonstrates the sustainability of District Cooling (DC), synchronizing with the large initiatives launched by the Government of Dubai to reduce overall water consumption. The company's advanced technologies contributed to save its overall consumption of potable water through the use oft reated water. Bin Shafar added this has boosted Empower's sustainability drive significantly while Dubai is playing a remarkable role in environmental conservation. “Under the directive and vision of the Government of Dubai and the UAE toward sustainable practices, we have been able to achieve global excellence in adopting TSE water for DC services, proving that DC is the ideal solution for meeting the demand for the chilling sector without compromising on saving fresh water,” said Bin Shafar. Empower first began transition from fresh water to treated water in four plants - in Dubai Healthcare City, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai International Financial Centre and Business Bay - leading to significant water saving. The effort was won the first Innovation Award by International District Energy Association (IDEA), in 2013. Empower also succeeded in implementing a new system to restore the cooling water used in the refinery for reuse. “The key advantage of DC is that it is environment friendly. The use of treated wastewater enhances the environmental role of this technology, compared to conventional methods,” said Bin Shafar. Empower has recognized the issue of water efficiency and understands that these challenges should be addressed as atop priority among public and private sectors around the world. The company believes that it is everyone's duty to reduce water consumption with the goal of lowering fresh water consumption in the UAE and Dubai. Empower currently operates more than 1 million RT, providing environmentally responsible district cooling services to large-scale real estate developments such as Jumeirah Group, Business Bay, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai International Financial Centre, Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Ibn Battuta Mall, Discovery Gardens, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai World trade Centre Residences, Dubai Design District, among others. — SG
