•Qatar Cool official hosts of the IDEA international energy professionals conference
•Conference to be held in Qatar for the first time
•Qatar Cool pioneers of district cooling in Qatar
Doha, Qatar May 31: Qatar Cool will host a major international conference of district energy professionals in Doha, November 2010.
District cooling company Qatar Cool, the pioneers of district cooling in Qatar, have cemented their partnership with the International District Energy Association (IDEA) to hold the 5th IDEA International District Cooling Conference in Doha, Qatar this year.
The IDEA is a non-profit industry association founded in the United States in 1909 with headquarters outside of Boston, Massachusetts and over 1300 members worldwide. The mission of IDEA is to facilitate the exchange of information among district energy professionals to promote energy efficiency and environmental quality through the advancement of district heating and cooling. Through education, technical conferences and robust peer exchange, IDEA actively lobbies to secure favourable policies, legislation and regulations for district energy world wide.
The IDEA conference in November will bring together regional and international industry leaders in district cooling energy. Qatar Cool has aligned itself with IDEA's mission in providing reliable, economical, efficient and environmentally sound district energy services.
Mr. Fayad Khatib, GM of Qatar Cool, says, "We are honoured to partner with IDEA for their first conference in Doha and their 5th in the Middle East. This partnership marks an historic step for Qatar Cool and the region in modernizing district cooling services and proving to our stakeholders that District Cooling is the way forward for all future cooling needs."
The theme of the 2010 conference is 'District Cooling: Greener Buildings, Smarter Grid', emphasizing the advantages of district cooling systems in improving end-use energy efficiency in customer buildings and reducing the economic and environmental strain on the regional power grid, consistent with the leadership and corporate commitment of Qatar Cool and other district cooling suppliers to energy efficiency and environmental performance. This is in line with Qatar's 2030 National Vision and its Environmental Development programme aimed at finding harmony between economic growth, social development and environmental protection.
'We are thrilled that Qatar Cool has chosen to partner with IDEA for this important and prestigious conference; a first in Qatar and hopefully setting a precedent for future IDEA conferences, 'said Rob Thornton, President of IDEA. 'We owe it to each other to continue our efforts to garner meaningful consideration for district energy in new climate regulations. We see Qatar Cool as playing an important role in the Middle East with regards to this. Global investment in cleaner energy solutions continues to accelerate. As an industry, it is important that we understand and contribute to adoption of energy and climate policies that recognize the importance of and potential for district energy solutions as a near term climate strategy.
With over 100 years of continuous operation, IDEA is considered a global authority in the field of district cooling. Each year at their Annual Conference & Trade Show, IDEA recognizes industry growth and leadership. Last year, at the 100th Annual IDEA Conference held in Washington DC, Qatar Cool beat fierce international competition to walk away with 2 prestigious awards; The Bronze Award for "District Energy Space 2008 Beyond North America for Total Square Footage Committed" (World Wide) and the Silver Award for "District Energy Space 2008 Beyond North America for Most Total Buildings Committed" (World Wide).
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About Qatar Cool
Qatar District Cooling Company, known as Qatar Cool, is a private sector joint venture company owned 51% by United Development Company (UDC), 44% by National District Cooling Company (Tabreed) and 5% by other private Qatari investors. Qatar Cool's aim is to provide efficient district cooling solutions and services for commercial and residential projects in Qatar. Their district cooling operations in the West Bay area of Doha - consisting of two plants covering 10 square kilometres - is currently supplying over 67,000 refrigerating tons of cooling, serving more than 45 towers used for residential, commercial and recreational purposes. The capacity of both plants is enough to supply about two million square meters of air conditioned area. Qatar Cool is also commissioned to provide district cooling for The Pearl-Qatar. District Cooling is an important feature in The Pearl's advanced infrastructure. It will be available throughout the island with a requirement of 130,000 tons of refrigeration when fully occupied. To supply this demand, construction of the Qatar Cool District Cooling Plant on the island has already begun and will be operational in phases.
About District Cooling
District Cooling provides chilled water from a cooling plant through a network of pipes to multiple residential, industrial and commercial buildings for air conditioning purposes. Qatar witnessed the first commercial district cooling plant in 2006, which is owned and operated by Qatar Cool. Qatar Cool's district cooling can save between 40 to 60 percent of the required power over conventional systems. The other benefit of district cooling for Qatar is that less usage of power means less harmful emissions, less noise, and less refrigerant leakage.
The economic benefits of district cooling are enjoyed by both owner and tenant, where capital costs of control panels, internal power distribution, annual maintenance and power consumption inside the building are reduced.
For further information, contact:
Mohannad Khader
Qatar Cool
Tel: +974 496 0555
Email: mkhader@qatarcool.com
Megan Ballantyne
Bell Pottinger Middle East
Tel: +974 307 1259
Email: mballantyne@bell-pottinger.co.uk
Arabic Media
Farah Faisal Aburamadan
Bell Pottinger Middle East
Tel: +974 4967286
Email: faburamadan@bell-pottinger.co.uk
© Press Release 2010
