IDEA International District Cooling Conference to shed light on global challenges facing global district cooling industry

IDEA International District Cooling Conference to shed light on global challenges facing global district cooling industry

H.E Bin Shafar: “Dubai is a model of successful migration to district cooling systems”

Dubai, UAE, 11 November 2014: H.E Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), announced that the 2014 IDEA International District Cooling Conference to be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline & Group, will discuss major strategic and operational challenges facing the district cooling industry in the world.

H.E Bin Shafar hailed Dubai as a model of successful migration to district cooling, as an alternative to conventional cooling, which has helped the Emirate achieve remarkable savings in energy and electricity consumption.

The global conference, which will be held from December 14 to 16 at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, will be attended by over 600 international experts.

H.E Bin Shafar continued: “The UAE is lending strong support to the global district cooling sector and Empower takes great pride to be contributing to the implementation of the UAE’s vision in the area of district cooling. Our hard work is reflected in achievements by hosting this global conference in Dubai as hosting a conference of this scale is a clear evidence of the international vote of confidence gained by us within a short period. Empower is proud to enjoy the status of the largest district cooling company in the world.”

H.E Bin Shafar stressed that Empower works according to the guidelines of the National Innovation Strategy 2014 launched by H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai as part of the UAE Vision 2021.

Speaking about Dubai’s credentials in hosting high-caliber international events, H.E Bin Shafar said that the Emirate has emerged as a key city in the world for hosting energy related events. In recent past in 2012, it hosted the World Energy Forum, held for the first time out the UN’s New York’s headquarters, which was attended by some prominent heads of states.

The 6^th conference and the companion exhibition will run for three days, with a welcome reception for business partners.

On Monday (December 15, 2014), Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO, Empower, will deliver the opening address, followed by two Panel Discussions on “District Cooling Infrastructure for Cleaner Energy and Greener Cities” and “District Cooling as a Sustainable Urban Solution”. It will include a panel on correlation of water and energy that will highlight the growing limitations on water and energy resources.

Four other sessions will be held on the same day -- “The Customer as a Partner” which will deal with the customer as a partner for long term business health; “Technology Innovations & Solutions”, a series of presentations covering technology innovations in cooling systems and components; “Large Scale Cooling Projects & Thermal Energy Storage”, featuring case studies of cooling projects from across globe and the region; and the second part of ‘Technology Innovations & Solutions.

The concluding day will include 5 sessions in addition to technical tours and overview. The sessions will be on “Large Scale Cooling Projects & Thermal Energy Storage (contd.)”; “Planning, Development & Implementation of Cooling Projects” covering the life cycle of cooling projects from planning to implementation; “Sustainability, Compliance & Regulation” addressing social, economic and energy benefits of district cooling; “Operations, Maintenance , System Efficiency & Optimization & Staffing” showcasing best practices and operational strategies for optimizing system performance and efficient distribution; and a final session entitled “Economic Drivers, Business Development & Financing for District Cooling Infrastructure”, that will explore the economic drivers and key aspects of business development leading to building successful financing and deployment of district cooling infrastructure.

The conference will conclude with a Technical Tour Overview to Empower Business Bay Plant and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Plant.