Under a contract worth $10.00 million, The National Company for Mechanical and Elecrical Works (Kharafi National) is carrying out the mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP) and data services works for the prestigious Arraya Centre.

The centrally-cooled building is equipped with four water-cooled chillers - each providing 830 tons of refrigeration - located in the second basement.

The cooling towers are located on the roof of the building. A number of air-handling units (AHUs) and fan coil units provide conditioned air throughout the occupied spaces. The air-conditioning system is controlled by a building automation system (BMS).

Arraya Centre is serviced by a 9 MW electrical substation comprising seven transformers of 1,600 kVA each and all associated high-tension and low-tension gear.

A standby diesel generator is provided to ensure availability of power supply for essential areas and services in the event of a power failure.

Kharafi National is an ISO 9001:2000-certified company with more than 25 years of extensive experience as a leader in the contracting business. It covers the fields of project management, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance.

Formed in 1976, the company has grown over the years to become the leading mechanical, electrical and instrumentation contractor in Kuwait's industrial and commercial sectors. Kharafi National is classified as a grade two trading and contracting firm with the Central Tender Committee of Kuwait. It has an average annual turnover of $200 million and employs a staff of around 6,000.

The company launched activities in the oil and gas sector in the late 1980s with the installation of pipelines and process plant facilities. This sector today accounts for the major share of its order book.

In the construction sector, Kharafi National has wide experience that covers the following areas: substations, overhead transmission lines, sewage treatment plants, pumping and lifting stations, hotels and tourist resorts, residential and building services, telecommunication towers, hospitals and airports.

Kharafi National has a strong presence in the Gulf and other areas of the Middle East, having extended its operations to the UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Ethiopia. Besides its corporate head office in Kuwait, Kharafi National has opened branch offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE and Cairo, Egypt.

The company has been involved in numerous major projects in Kuwait and abroad and has several others in hand. It has a large number of regular clients which come back to the firm with repeat business.

"We feel that the number of second and third contracts that we are receiving from our clients - particularly in the oil and gas sector - justifies our belief that we provide a service that is second to none and we consider that we are now fully equipped and resourced to undertake any project, no matter the size," says Samer Younis, deputy managing director.

Kharafi National is also a qualified contractor with most of the international engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) prime contractors, such as, but not limited to: Snamprogetti, Technip, Technimont, Saipem, Fluor International, Petrofac International, International Bechtel Company, Dailem Engineering and Construction and SK Engineering and Construction, in the construction of large industrial, commercial, oil and gas projects in the petrochemical, refining, power generation and distribution, building services, solid and liquid waste treatment fields.