DCT: The Future of Cooling in the Middle East and the World
Saudi Arabia is a quickly expanding and growing country, undergoing rapid socio-economic transformation under its ambitious Vision 2030.
In line with the progress, the demand for cooling has also increased substantially. Cooling is one of the biggest challenges faced by countries in the middle eastern region, with summer temperatures often exceeding 50 degrees Celsius. 70% of electrical consumption in Saudi Arabia is due to cooling, and as the Kingdom strives for more energy-efficient and carbon-neutral economy, the District Cooling Technology (DCT) gains critical importance in achieving these targets. Alongside reducing energy consumption by as much as 50% in contrast to conventional air conditioning, DCT also promotes natural resource conservation and environmental preservation by effective curbing of GHG emissions, making it an effective and sustainable solution for energy optimization in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as the entire region. District cooling is one of the best solutions for both the public and private sectors, with its improved technology that fully satisfies the demand for cooling while also saving energy and the environment. District cooling adds enormous value in terms of improved space utilization, reduced noise pollution, reduced refrigerant use, and, most importantly, substantially reduced cooling cost. At Saudi Tabreed, we develop engineered cooling solutions for improved performance & energy efficiency of buildings and industries and for the transformation of cities and territories into smarter, greener, and cleaner places, thus accelerating the transition towards a carbon-neutral economy. Strongly aligning our growth strategy with the Kingdom’s needs and requirements, we are working with the government authorities to help meet the Kingdom’s new power demands with sustainable efficiency.Through the provision of the latest eco-friendly cooling and conditioning systems, we are supporting the transformation of innovative urban development while reducing carbon emissions, optimizing energy consumption, and preserving the environment in accordance with the UNSDG’s and the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the Net Zero economy Vision 2060. Our implementation of the DCT has enabled critical reductions in energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in the Kingdom, saving 849,000 MWh in energy consumption annually while reducing 239,990 CO2e Tons in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions – the equivalent of 114,330 cars annually. We expect the district cooling industry to evolve and cover all the cities in the Kingdom, where government entities and real estate developers alike are convinced by the technological, environmental, and sustainable benefits of district cooling and accommodate it within their future plans. Having developed a number of district cooling schemes across the major cities of the Kingdom, including Riyadh, Dhahran, and Makkah, we currently have five active concessions and several leases and O&M contracts, which include concessions for three Saudi Giga projects: Red Sea Development, Qiddiya, and King Salman Park projects. Owning and operating the largest district cooling portfolio in the Kingdom, our current portfolio comprises 826,000 TR of gross contracted Tons Refrigerant capacity per day, and we aim to expand it to more than 1 million Tons Refrigerant capacity per day of chilled water supply and operations over the next three years. We are further leveraging technology to continually improve our plant design and operational methodologies to further improve our efficiencies by reducing our reliance on chemical compounds, as well as water and power consumption, in addition to reducing the CO2 emissions. With a significant and ever-expanding district cooling portfolio, we are committed to maintaining our leading footprint in the Kingdom’s district cooling landscape in Saudi Arabia through constant technology optimization and the introduction of greener technologies in the Kingdom’s cooling sector to bring further energy efficiencies and reduce the Kingdom’s environmental impact.
|