Empower Urges Region To Emulate Dubai In Adopting District Cooling At IDEA Conference In Toronto

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Emirates Central Cooling Corporation (Empower), the leading district cooling service provider in the region which is a joint venture between TECOM Investments and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), recently participated at the International District Energy Association’s (IDEA) Annual Conference in Toronto, Canada.

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, led the Empower delegation, along with Ramadurai Ramesh, CFO, Tariq Al Yasi, Chief Operations & Maintenance Officer, Abdullah Al Falasi, Operations Manager and Moustapha Assayed, Senior Engineering Manager.

At the conference, Bin Shafar highlighted the success of Dubai in adopting district cooling technology which has helped in conserving the environment resources, and urged countries in the Middle East to make it mandatory for real estate developers to use district cooling as their main cooling source in new real estate projects.

He added: “Dubai has succeeded because of its firm determination to widely use district technology which provides better cooling services while conserving the environment.”

Bin Shafar said: “This is the seventh consecutive time we participated in the annual IDEA conference that attracts a wide range of international companies from the district cooling field. We got to update ourselves on the latest practices on district cooling. Also, we shared our expertise with the peers from the district cooling industry.”

Bin Shafar emphasized: “District Cooling technology is considered an ideal economic and environmental solution for residential and commercial units, offices and hotels. We at Empower adopt a robust strategy to disseminate this technology which aims at preserving the environment and saving operational costs while providing quality services.”

IDEA is a non-profit trade association that annually hosts a conference and trade show to showcase latest technologies and equipment in the district energy industry. The annual event give attendees – including energy professionals, consultancies, government agencies and system developers – the opportunity to learn more about district cooling from a global perspective and meet with a variety of vendors and suppliers.

Bin Shafar added: “We are providing district cooling service to a wide array of projects in Dubai, including Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai Healthcare City, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Business Bay and City Of Arabia.”
 

Silkor Joins Hands With Dubai Foundation To Empower Underprivileged Women And Children

As part of its efforts to provide a helping hand to the society and support women and children affected by domestic violence and human trafficking, Silkor Laser Medical Center – the leading chain of laser hair removal, laser medico-aesthetic and skin treatment services across the region – has joined hands with Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWAC) on various social projects.

As part of the tie-up, Silkor will support the underprivileged women residing at DFWAC by providing them with vocational training sessions, offering them the “know-how” on skin treatments, as well as other services such as facials. Silkor also offers treatments to three women every month, as part of its efforts to uplift their self-esteem and confidence. The purpose of such treatments is to allow these young ladies feel and embrace their femininity allowing them to indulge in a beautifying atmosphere. These activities are phase 1 of the partnership with DFWAC allowing Silkor to get to know the foundation and its valued staff and clients, to evaluate their needs and study how Silkor can lend a helping hand. Visiting the foundation every month allows Silkor to spend time and get to know the sort of activities that are required to enhance DFWAC clients’ sense of worth, self-respect and confidence.

The tie-up with DFWAC is part of Silkor’s CSR strategy and a testimony to its commitment to community service, through collaborative projects and training opportunities for the underprivileged women. Silkor Laser Medical Center has started its initiative as the Silkor Foundation; which was announced in September 2010 during the headquarter opening in Beirut, Lebanon. Silkor believes that contributions and donations come in all shapes and sizes, and through this partnership the Silkor Foundation provides their support for the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children stating and proving that every little bit of encouragement matters.

Lara Tarakjian, Executive Director at Silkor Group of Companies, said: “It is a matter of great privilege for us to be working closely with Dubai Foundation for Women and Children. This is a great opportunity to give back to our community and lend a helping hand to those who are less privileged than us. We are delighted to work with the Foundation and offer vocational inspiring training programs as well as basic, simple skin-care treatments to its members, help them regain their dignity and self-confidence, thus empowering them to become great individuals.”

Silkor currently has over 250 female employees, which makes 99% of the company female driven. Some of these women started at very low positions and managed to level up in the company, thusly posing as ambitious and inspiring models of success to others. These women also encourage them to have faith in themselves and believe that accomplishment can be achieved by dedication and commitment to their work. “We insisted on involving Silkor employees in this activity to get on the ground and observe what goes on with other underprivileged women, to spend time with those women, listen to them, share stories and most importantly touch their souls. If each Silkor woman was able to influence and touch the heart of the ladies at the foundation, that would be an exceptional achievement. ” added Lara Tarakjian.

Afra Al Basti, CEO of DFWAC, said: “We are extremely happy to have the support of Silkor in our journey. With Silkor’s training and collaborative projects, DFWAC will be able to achieve its aim to empower women and children who are victims of violence. We are confident that these training programs and projects will go a long way in contributing to the wellbeing of our members.”

In her comments, Joelle Mehchi; the PR Manager – Silkor Laser Hair Removal in the UAE/Oman, said," We are pleased we were able to help these women and make a difference. Dubai Foundation is always on the lookout for new opportunities and collaborations to change lives. It was an exciting moment when some young ladies took us aside requesting for advice and guidance in operating a similar beauty, medical or spa business back in their home country. At that exact moment we felt so proud being at the foundation and seeing the motivated and full of enthusiasm women, regardless of all their sufferings and going home with their heads up high to start their new life.’

The Silkor Holding management division will also collaborate closely with DFWAC in speaking opportunities at various forums and outreach activities aimed at empowering women. The company also plans to work closely with DFWAC on social uplift of women with dedicated annual events on March 8 – the International Women’s Day.
 

Empower Calls On Banks To Invest In The District Cooling Industry

Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), a joint venture between TECOM Investments and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and the largest district cooling services provider in the Middle East, has urged regional and local banks to enhance their funding to district cooling industry which is considered one of the safest industries in terms of risks and return on investment (ROI).

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, added: “Key players in the district cooling industry in the UAE and the Gulf have succeeded in building a world-class district cooling infrastructure. The demand has risen rapidly in the UAE in the last decade, which lowers the risks of such investments significantly compared to other opportunities.”

Demand for district cooling has been increasing rapidly in the last decade. In the UAE, it was first used in the 1970s at the Dubai International Airport. It began to be adopted commercially in 1998 with the real estate boom in the country. The adoption rate in this technology has remarkably increased in the past five years especially amongst large scale projects.

In Dubai, residents are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of using district cooling system as an alternative to conventional AC system, leading to energy saving and environment conservation, as well as lower operations and maintenance costs.

“Despite the positive scenario, banks are reluctant to invest in the sector due to lack of understanding of the nature of the business.. As a result, a golden opportunity is being lost to invest in a promising and safe industry in the nature of utility, considering high ambient temperatures prevailing almost through out the year.”

“We have succeeded in building world class district cooling infrastructure that is considered an ideal economic and environmental solution for residential and commercial units, offices and hotels,” added Bin Shafar.

Through an ambitious strategy to finance its projects through an optimal mix of debt and equity structure, Empower announced late last year that it had successfully refinanced a US$175 million credit facility through a consortium of Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Chartered, Citibank, Emirates NBD and Mashreq. This was part of an earlier facility of US$225 million, out of which Empower settled US$50 million. The company has refinanced the balance of US$175 million for a five-year tenor repayable between 2011 and 2015.

Bin Shafar added: “Refinancing of a facility of this magnitude clearly demonstrates the robustness and sustainability of Empower’s business model and the confidence of the international and local banks and financial institutions in the company’s leading position in the Middle East. Moreover, it signals promising future for the district cooling industry on the global and regional stage.”

Empower has been growing steadily as part of its plans to position itself as a major player in the global front.
 

Empower To Showcase Latest District Cooling Solutions At WETEX 2011

Emirates Central Cooling Corporation (Empower), the largest district cooling service provider in the region, will showcase its latest district cooling solutions at the 13th Water Technology, Energy and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2011) which will be held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from March 8 to 10, 2011.

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower said: “WETEX has achieved remarkable success in its goal of saving energy and preserving natural resources. We will use our participation to discuss latest advancements in the district cooling side with international companies participating in the show. Dubai has made rapid strides in preserving water and energy resources through the use of district cooling technologies, which are very environmentally friendly.”

He added: “We anticipate a dramatic increase in demand for district cooling in the coming years. This adds more weight to our participation in the show which has successfully positioned itself as an important platform for showcasing new technologies for the region.”

SmarTech is introduced at WETEX 2011 to give the green and energy-efficient technology a platform to showcase their expertise. This is where district cooling plays a crucial role as well as it is considered a significant technology in preserving natural resources in the world.

In line with the Exhibition’s aim of spreading awareness of rational consumption oriented towards environmentally-friendly water and energy consumption, Empower will highlight that
District cooling is 50% more efficient than conventional air conditioning solutions.

Bin Shafar added: “By the farsighted vision of the Emirate, district cooling technology managed to ease the load off the electricity grid. This cooling technology is the most eco-friendly air-conditioning solution to meet the world’s CO2 reduction targets. We urge GCC countries to take UAE’s efforts into DCS as a model. The regional growth in district cooling systems will be huge in the years to come.”

WETEX not only represents technologies, but also adopts and supports the issues and topics in the field of sustainable development and conservation of the environment.

Empower is providing district cooling service to a wide array of projects in Dubai, including Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai Healthcare City, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Business Bay and City Of Arabia.
 

ENOC And CDA Sign MoU To Empower People With Disabilities

Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) and the Community Development Authority in Dubai (CDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to empower and integrate people with disabilities into the mainstream.

Sheikh Maktoum Bin Butti Al Maktoum, CEO – Social Care at CDA, and Khalid Hadi, ENOC Group Brand and Marketing Manager, signed the agreement at a ceremony held recently at ENOC headquarters.

The MoU provides a framework for providing people with disabilities, identified by CDA, with a unique opportunity to acquire critical professional skills and prepare them to join the workforce at ENOC Group, making them an active part of the UAE community.

ENOC and CDA will work together to achieve this through their key programmes, Challenge and Elkayt, that have been designed especially for people with disabilities to develop their social and professional skills.

Khalid Hadi said: “ENOC is committed to working towards meaningful social change in line with our corporate social responsibility philosophy. Integrating people with special needs into the mainstream is one of our goals, and we have already unveiled several initiatives to achieve this. The partnership with CDA further highlights our dedication to strengthen public private partnerships that can enhance overall socio-economic welfare.”

“We believe that empowering people with disabilities is one of the most important duties of all cross-sections of the society including the governmental and private sectors. This segment of society should be treated like the rest of the community and we should make use of their capabilities especially that they have proven to show remarkable potential in the workplace when given the chance. Based on that belief, CDA works to establish strategic partnerships with many governmental and private institutions to launch initiatives that aim at empowering people with disabilities,” said Sheikh Maktoum Bin Butti Al Maktoum.

“Not only does the ‘ElKayt’ programme provide job opportunities for people with disabilities, but it also extends to rehabilitation and training, mentoring and developing the skills that contribute to personal and professional development,” added Sheikh Maktoum.

ENOC and all of its subsidiaries uphold the highest standards of corporate social responsibility and support practices and activities that target all segments of society. ENOC recently launched a training programme for 15 special needs youngsters, ‘ENOC Challenge IV’.

The annual comprehensive training programme provides the participants with the opportunity to gain experience in today’s business and commerce, as well as prepare them for employment in various industries.
 

Empower Launches World-Class Customer Service Center Offering Integrated Services

Emirates Central Cooling Corporation (Empower) has launched a world class customer service center that provides customers with integrated services to cater to the demands of customers growing at the rate of 60 percent annually.

Designed to provide quality and efficient services, the new center reflects the company’s commitment to enhance customer support.

Empower’s customer base included individual customers as well as large businesses, including projects in Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai Healthcare City, Jumeirah Beach Residence and Business Bay.

Ahmed Bin Shafar, CEO, Empower, said: “Customers are the backbone of our operations as we believe customer satisfaction is the key to business success. As dedicated providers of district cooling services not only in the UAE but also in the region, we aspire to deliver satisfaction through a group of professionals backed with the knowledge and technical expertise. We offer our clients an experience rather than a service.”

The customer service center reflects the core values of Empower and it reinforces its position on the global front as an organization that delivers efficient service. The system is designed to manage customers’ queries through increased efficiency and productivity.

A dedicated team of Empower will be on hand at all times to serve customers in registration, bill payment, final bill and general enquiries.

Bin Shafar added: “Our customer base rose by 60 % in 2010. This is why we launched this center as the number of customers has increased dramatically. Customers of Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai Healthcare City, Jumeirah Beach Residence and Business Bay can avail of this service.”

This is the third customer service center for Empower, after Business Bay and Jumeirah Beach Residence, which are only dedicated to bill payments. The customer servicing center timings will be from 9 am to 2 pm in Ramadan and from 7:30 am to 3:30 am thereafter.

The Dubai based company believes that district cooling technology achieves optimal results not only to customers but also to the society at a socio-economic level through diminishing the electricity and water consumption thus conserving the environmental resources of the Emirate of Dubai.

Empower’s district cooling systems (DCS) provide effective and efficient means of air conditioning. Water is cooled in central plants and distributed through a network of piping systems to individual customer buildings. Empower which is a joint venture between Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and TECOM Investments has world class work stations being built on various locations in the Emirate of Dubai.
 

Empower Adopts New Technology In Sustainable Multi Use Of Water In District Cooling

Emirates Central Cooling Corporation (Empower), the largest district cooling service provider in the region, announced its adoption of a world class innovative system in water recycling to reuse the chilled water several times aiming at remarkably saving energy.

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower said: “Empower tops its priority in preserving water resources through reducing the consumption of water used in providing district cooling services to its clients.”

“The Executive Council in Dubai has ordered all district cooling companies in the emirate not to use desalinated water in its operations and to use sea water and recycled sewage water instead. This aims at conserving the energy resources of the Emirate for sustainable development. Community segments have to adopt the principles of energy conservation as their core values so that future generations will gain the maximum benefit,” said Al Shafar.

Empower works on sustainable use of the amount of water in its daily operations without compromising the quality of the service.

Bin Shafar added: “Very few are the district cooling companies in the world which use this system. It is our belief that adopting this system will contribute in saving water resources in light with the population increase.”

Bin Shafar added: “In this part of the world cooling is essential for more than eight months a year, and this makes it more imperative to not only take what the modern world has to offer but also go the extra mile by innovating new technologies for the good of our children.”

Compared with conventional ACs, district cooling are 50 percent more efficient from conventional cooling. In addition to water saved with the use of this innovative system, Empower managed to reduce the electricity loads in Dubai by providing district cooling service to a wide array of projects in the Emirate, including Mirdif Gate Buildings, Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai Healthcare City, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Culture City, Business Bay and City Of Arabia.

Most of the real estate projects in Dubai are equipped with district cooling services which add up to a big amount of water needed to provide this service to these projects. Multi usage of water to prevent its loss will thus have a big impact on water conservation.

Empower’s announcement of the adoption of the new system comes at a time when the UAE is working on mitigating the climate change implication in the country.
 

CDA And Dubai Club For Special Sports Sign Co-operation Agreement To Empower People With Disabilities

As part of its commitment to strengthen the standards of social services and integrate people with disability into the society, the Community Development Authority in Dubai (CDA) signed a co-operation agreement with Dubai Club for Special Sports. This initiative aims at contributing to sustainable social development and unifying efforts to serve people with disability.

His Excellency Mr Khaled Al Kamda, Director General of CDA, and Mr Thani Jumma Bal-Rogad, Chairman, Dubai Club for Special Sports, signed the agreement. Sheikh Maktoum Bin Butti Al Maktoum, CEO – Social Care; Dr Eman Gaad, Director of Disability Services and Mr Khalid Hamad, Director of Planning and Development, attended the signing ceremony held, recently, at CDA’s headquarters.

As per the agreement, both CDA and Dubai Club for Special Sports will cooperate in strengthening the principles of social solidarity among people with disability and different groups of society through media campaigns and events, awareness courses, camps, and opportunities to develop their potential and integrate them into society through vocational programmes, social training and sports training through special tournaments.

“We are pleased to co-operate with Dubai Club for Special Sports. The agreement is the first step of a series of initiatives to develop a comprehensive strategy for people with disability and improve and develop their skills,” said Mr Al Kamda.

Mr Bal-Rogad congratulated the initiatives undertaken by CDA. He said: “We look forward to the implementation of this agreement to give people with disability their rights and to support and integrate them fully and properly in the community”.

Empower Customer Base To Grow 60% By End Of 2010

Emirates Central Cooling Corporation (Empower) has projected that its customer base will reach 16,000 by the end of 2010, compared to 10,000 customers in 2009, an increase of 60 %.

With this, Empower will become the largest district cooling service provider in the region with regards to the number of customers. The company provides district cooling service to a wide array of projects in Dubai, including Dubai International Financial Center, Dubai Healthcare City, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Business Bay and City Of Arabia.

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, said: “Empower has succeeded in boosting the demand for district cooling services through a well-rounded community outreach strategy. We have spread the message that this new technology delivers optimal results not only to customers but also to the society at a socio-economic level by reducing electricity and water consumption and conserving the environment.”

Bin Shafar added: “A clear evidence on the success of our strategy is the growth we have achieved in the numbers of customers whom we consider our partners regardless of the size of their adoption of our services.”

Empower’s district cooling systems (DCS) provide effective and efficient means of air conditioning. Water is cooled in central plants and distributed through a network of piping systems to individual customer buildings. Empower which is a joint venture between Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and TECOM Investments has world class work stations being built on various locations in the Emirate of Dubai.

After 12 years of being adopted commercially, district cooling services providers in the UAE with Empower topping the list have developed a world class district cooling infrastructure and network. Against the latest equipments and solutions, the company has worked on enhancing the awareness of society to the importance of this technology in saving the operating and maintenance costs and its user friendliness and high level of conserving the environment.

The operational savings percentage in a residential unit compared with conventional AC technologies ranges between 40 and 45 per cent. The technology is considered an ideal economic and environmental solution for residential and commercial units, offices and hotels in the Gulf area.

District Cooling Service results in less capital and operating costs, thus reducing air-conditioning set-up and energy costs per building. This is encouraging more customers to demand the service.

Empower has achieved this big number of customers base at a time the company plans to diversify its services and provide more energy saving efficient solutions.

Empower has advanced centralized plants providing round the clock world class services based on fully automated electronic system.