Italy-based Geoclima, a subsidiary of Zamil Air Conditioners (ZAC), has clinched a deal the involves the installation of a number of ice rinks across Russia.

The contract pairs it with Advanced System Technology (AST), a provider of turnkey ice rinks the world over.
The SR6.13 million ($1.63 million) contract is part of the Russian Federation’s recently announced decision to support the development of sports for Russian youth with the establishment of a huge investment program known as the Federal Program.
The programme, which runs over three years, includes the building of 250 varied sporting complexes across Russia. Of the first 50 complexes to be built, 31 will include a hockey rink, with 15 of those already awarded to Geoclima. Further negotiations between AST and Geoclima are underway for the contracts for an additional 40 complexes awarded to AST, says a spokesman for ZAC.
“Geoclima is the perfect partner for us at AST on a project of this scope. Our cutting-edge Ice Mat technology and all our supporting technologies combined with Geoclima’s expertise in chillers and air conditioning mean that we will be able to install each of the first 31 ice rinks and have them ready to begin operations sometime during the fourth quarter of this year even though the 55,000 sq m of ice in addition to the 13 MW of cooling capacity needed to reach optimal temperatures in each rink pose a significant challenge for us both,” said Lechner Bernd, project manager of AST.
The chillers being manufactured for this project must comply with very precise specifications due to the extreme weather conditions of the Russian Tundra. One of the main options these chillers have is that they are preset for free cooling operations designed to cool the ice rink’s water and glycol mixture down to minus 10 deg C by making use of the ambient outside temperatures to assist with cooling process. The chillers are able to maintain optimum cooling power in a range of temperatures fluctuating between 38 deg C in the summer and minus 40 deg C in the winter.
“The first chiller will be manufactured, installed and commissioned by our Geoclima team, and will include the AST team in order to provide them with hands-on training,” said Osama Bunyan, executive vice president of ZAC.
“All subsequent ice rink installations will be carried out by AST under the supervision of our specialised team at Geoclima, making use of the GSM monitoring system installed on each chiller. We are very happy to have this chance to work on such a prestigious project with AST, and hope that this is the beginning of a strong partnership,” he concluded.