ABU DHABI, 12th March, 2017 (WAM) -- Under the Tarsheed Programme of Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority, ADWEA, and in association with the Ministry of Economy, the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development has begun registration for Energy Services Companies, ESCO, for operation in Abu Dhabi.

The registration is being conducted to support implementation of Energy Performance Contracting to enable the reduction of energy consumption by government, commercial and institutional buildings. As the Estidama programme sets efficiency standards for new buildings, this will enable existing non-residential buildings to reduce energy consumed for cooling, lighting and other essential functions through the incorporation of efficient technologies.

Khalifa Bin Salem Al Mansouri, Acting Under-Secretary of the DED Abu Dhabi, said that the initiative has been taken in line with the directives of the UAE leadership and is aimed at decreasing water and electricity consumption, promoting sustainable use of natural resources and reducing the environment footprint. It will also help public and private entities to reduce their capital and operational expenditure, CAPEX and OPEX, thus bolstering the competitiveness of their products in the local and international markets, he added.

Dr. Saif Al Seiari, Acting Director-General at ADWEA, said the initiative has been launched under Kafaati initiative of the Demand Side Management, DSM, of the Tarsheed programme, unveiled during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2017, in association with Abu Dhabi Distribution Company and Al Ain Distribution Company. It is intended for helping customers, through specialised companies, to reduce their consumption of water and electricity, a matter that falls under the emirates strategic objective of reducing consumption by 20 percent by the year 2030, he added.

Tarsheeds Commercial/Governmental/Institutional Cooling and Lighting Replacement initiative, is an integrated programme soon to be launched to help building owners obtain competitive bids from ESCOs and make these energy improvements without upfront capital investment.

Kafaati initiative can save over 445,000 MWh/year in consumption of electricity and the equivalent of a medium-sized power plant in demand. The initiative will also form a work plan for replacing all electric devices, such as ACs, ventilation systems, lighting systems, elevators, and water pumps, etc., with energy efficient ones that comply with the standards and specifications put by the competent authorities like Emirates Authority For Standardisation and Metrology, Estidama programme of Abu Dhabi UPC, Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council and the Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport.

ADWEA today organised, a workshop with interested companies to share with them the details of the requirements sought and the process to become registered to participate in the tendering process for building retrofits using the performance contracting approach, registration process and administrative procedures to create a healthy competitive market in this field to provide the best services for Abu Dhabi building owners and the emirates resources.

To get the ESCO license, applicants should obtain the approval of the ESCO Committee, formed by ADWEA and its two distribution subsidiaries, in writing.

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2017.