Leading regional developer Nakheel has awarded a Dh1.8-billion ($490 million) contract to UAE-based Empower, one of the world’s largest district cooling service providers, for provision of district cooling services to its key developments – Jumeirah Village Circle and Jumeirah Village Triangle.

As per the contract, Empower will build up six cooling plants in the two locations, to provide 260,000 refrigeration tons (RT) for the 400 buildings. The project is divided into several phases and Empower will produce 30,000 RT by the fourth quarter of this year, remarked Ahmad Bin Shafar, the chief executive of Empower, after signing the agreement with Sanjay Manchanda, the chief executive of Nakheel.

“Over the past few years, we saw a dramatic expansion that made us the largest global provider in terms of capacity. We started a new strategy this year and signed series of agreements,” stated Bin Shafar. “The next stage will see several partnerships and agreements in response to the wide demand for district cooling services.”