The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone (Tecom) have formed Empower, a new joint venture project that will provide energy-efficient services in Dubai and the region.

Created as part of the Dubai Government’s efforts to enhance the infrastructure for the emirate and the UAE, Empower will be a 50-50 project between Tecom and Dewa. The project will primarily focus on helping real-estate developments efficiently utilise energy resources.
Empower, which is a combination of Tecom’s project management and business development expertise and Dewa’s vast experience in providing utility services, has been launched with an initial capitalisation of Dh500 million ($136 million). Empower will initially focus on offering district cooling services (DCS) and providing cost-effective chilled water to real estate developments and subsequently diversify into other related energy-efficient services, a spokesman says.
DCS is an effective and efficient system of air conditioning, which allows for central plants to cool water and distribute it through a network of piping systems to individual customer buildings. DCS achieves economies of scale due to the set up of centralised plants instead of individual air-cooled plants in each building. The centralised system results in reduced capital and operating costs, thus reducing air-conditioning set-up and energy costs per building.
Empower claims that its DCS is a cost-efficient alternative to the air-cooled chiller systems serving large buildings and real-estate developments.
It is estimated that chiller plants account for up to 70 per cent of electricity usage in large buildings. With DCS, building owners can reduce electricity usage substantially and, in addition, there are cost savings and other benefits from reduced maintenance, enhanced efficiency and reliability, space savings, flexibility of air-conditioning load and a plant life that is twice that of traditional plants.
Efficient use of energy also makes it environment-friendly. Added to this is the fact that DCS enables the use of alternative and cheaper energy fuels, he says.
Says Ahmad bin Byat, chairman of Empower and director general of Tecom: “The establishment of Empower is part of our efforts to develop a complete and integrated infrastructure for the development of Dubai. With cost efficiency becoming a huge driver of economic performance, Empower’s energy-efficient services will contribute to boosting the bottom line of companies in all sectors.”
Says Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, vice chairman Empower and general manager, Dewa: “We are extremely glad to join forces with Tecom to embark on a project aimed at enhancing energy-efficient practices in Dubai and eventually spreading our competencies and practices across the entire region. This venture gives us an opportunity to play a greater role in the development of Dubai’s 2010 vision,” he said.
Empower will have an initial captive capacity in excess of 400,000 tonnes with its first plant currently being constructed adjacent to the Jumeirah Beach Residence property.