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TOPPLAYERSSHOW PREVIEWMIDDLE EASTELECTRICITY

HVAC

SPECIAL FOCUS

MIDDLE EAST NEWS UPDATE | 06SOLAR POWER | 39

SITE VISIT | 42REGION IN FOCUS | 49

LEGAL | 52PRODUCTS | 54

Essential information for mechanical, electrical, plumbing and HVAC professionals An ITP Business Publication | February 2011 Vol. 6 Issue 2

ALSO: KHALED BUSHANQ FROM EMS ON ENERGY MANAGEMENT

TOPLAYERSW PREVIEWDDLE EASTCTRICITY

SPECIAL FOCUS

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Heath Andersen from Ramboll on the impact of sustainability

TEMPORARY POWERTHE KWH TREND

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February 2011 | MEP Middle East 1www.constructionweekonline.com

FEBRUARY 2011 VOLUME 6 ISSUE 2

CONTENTS

03 CONSTRUCTION WEEK ONLINE

05 COMMENT

06 UPDATE11 EVENTS14 GLOBAL NEWS16 NEWS ANALYSIS

22 MEP AWARDS 2011

25-27 THE BIG INTERVIEW Ramboll sustainability and

renewables director Heath Andersen on the impact of due diligence

28-29 MIDDLE EAST ELECTRICITY A preview of the power in

dustry 8-10 February event at the World Trade Centre

30-33 TEMPORARY POWER New challenges posed by

energy effi ciency and technology

35-37 LIGHTING Urgent call to switch to sus -

tainable energy solutions

39 SOLAR POWER ESIA punts solar-power op

portunities

42-45 SITE VISIT Carlin Gerbich on Qatar

sewerage infrastructure

46-47 HVAC The future of refrigerants.

49 REGION IN FOCUS

52 LEGAL

54 PRODUCTS

56 THE LAST WORD EMS CEO Khaled Bushnaq

is 2010 Legend in Energy, according to the AEE.

35

30

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CONSTRUCTIONWEEKONLINE.COM

COLUMNS AND FEATURESTIME FOR CHANGESelina Denman, Editor, Commercial Interior DesignThe hospitality and retail industries remain “the most conventional” when it comes to the uptake of new, sustainable technologies. Hotels needs to invest in in-novation.

GETTING REALOrlando Crowcroft, Editor, Middle East ArchitectJeddah’s kilometer-high Kingdom Tower has gone quiet for a reason.

FOOD FOR THOUGHTStephen White, Editor, PMV Middle EastGreener and leaner machines are coming our way – that is a good thing, right?

RUNNING TO CATCH UPCarlin Gerbich, Senior Reporter, Construction WeekA tiny Gulf nation has gazumped the US in an ultimate David vs. Goliath thrashing.

SUKOON TOWERThe swift rise of the Sukoon Tower in Manama has been a strong start for developer and contractor alike.

For more galleries, check out www.constructionweekonline.com/galleries

IN PICTURES MOST POPULAR

• Jubail announces $30b mega projects

• March call for $11bn railway tenders

• Nakheel’s The World risks erosion

• Three dead, 11 injured in KSA accident

• Three more airports for Saudi Arabia

• ASHRAE’s green tips for data centres

• Daikin set to be world’s top air-con fi rm

• CIBSE UK calls for mandatory air-con

inspections

EDITOR’S CHOICE

SPOT POLL

What should be done with Dubai’s partially completed buildings?

37.5%The government should help developers to find a solution.

18.8%Banks should free up funding

to help finish them.

18.8%Developers should be forced to make a decision on their future.

18.8%Tear them down.

6.2%They should be sold on and as much cash

refunded to investors as possible.For more comments, check out www.constructionweekonline.com/comments

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COMMENT

A place in the sunG

ood news for the solar-power sector is the formation of the

Emirates Solar Indus-try Association (ESIA), which recently held its inaugural meeting in Abu Dhabi. The ESIA notes that there are more than 70 compa-nies already involved in the sector, so it is criti-

cal that some kind of overarching organisation give voice to the main concerns and issues. This is also necessary if all the opportunities available are to be exploited, and if the sector wants to continue to grow at a healthy rate.

The ESIA has highlighted a range of issues that need to be tackled fi rst, however: these are mainly the introduction of a regulatory framework, estab-lishing the necessary government body to organise the industry, and offering incentives for the private sector to partake in the development of the indus-try and to help the technology go mainstream.

Incentives are probably the most diffi cult issue to tackle at the moment, given the high cost of entry into this sector, in addition to the highly subsidised electricity prices throughout the region.

While Abu Dhabi intends to generate 7% of its energy needs from renewables by 2020, other emir-ates are yet to come up with similar objectives. The 7% target translates into 1,500MW of solar energy. Of this amount, 500MW is earmarked for Abu Dha-bi’s vaunted roof-top programme, which aims at installing solar panels on all rooftops so as to gen-erate ‘clean’ electricity.

However, with no clear direction from the gov-ernment in this regard, the only development that

MIDDLE EAST

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has taken place is a 2MW pilot project. Abu Dhabi also plans to become a regional hub for renewable energy, which is where most of the media’s atten-tion has been focused.

Masdar City has evoked a lot of debate about re-newable energy in the Middle East in general, and the role of solar power in particular, especially in such a hot (and humid) desert environment. On the construction level, the project continues to be hugely important in terms of ongoing work.

The latest contractor to benefi t was Arabian Con-struction Company announcing a $204million proj-ect to expand the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) campus.

Masdar City was also in the news recently due to the visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lauded the cleantech and renewable initiatives being undertaken by MIST.

A potential cloud on all the good news was the revelation that Masdar Power no longer aims to manufacture solar panels locally as planned, but this is more a rationalisation than a step back.

Hopefully the ESIA manages to put its strong words into even stronger action, and galvanise the solar-power sector into becoming one of the most important up-and-coming new industries in the re-gion. No doubt this will have massive spin-offs for the MEP sector as well.

Keep up-to-date with all MEP Middle East news at

Do you have any comments about the MEP industry in the Middle East? Please e-mail any letters to: [email protected] or post to: MEP Middle East, ITP Business, PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE.

ON THIS MONTH’S COVERRamboll sustainability and renewable energy director Heath Andersen

speaks about due diligence, growth in Saudi, and the need to pay consul-

tants properly to come up with more energy-effi cient designs.

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COMMENTSdle East? Please e-mail any letters to:

5

GERHARD [email protected]

UPDATE

www.constructionweekonline.com6 MEP Middle East | February 2011

Saudi Electricity launches multi-billion plan

HVAC

A new $8million facility to manu-facture chillers, air-handling units, fan-coil units, packaged, split and window units used in the construction and build-ing material industry is to be established at Industrial Val-ley in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). This follows an industrial land lease agreement signed by Emaar The Economic City (EEC) and the Tadawul-listed KAEC with Saudi Petra Engineering Company.

The new facility will cater to an increasing demand in both the domestic and regional mar-ket. It is expected to create more than 300 new jobs and to train and develop Saudi HVAC exper-tise. Engineer Samir Al Fetiany, GM of Saudi Petra Engineering Company, pointed out that the decision to build the new facility at the Industrial Valley in KAEC was based on an extensive fea-sibility study to ensure the opti-mum location for the project.

$8 million Saudi HVAC plant for KAECNew facility to manufacture air-conditioning products for the construction industry

“The strategic location of KAEC and the availability of effi -cient port and road connectivity to the local and regional markets offers an array of logistical capa-bilities and enables huge growth potential,” said Al Fetiany. He added that the new facility is part

of a long-term plan to improve the competitiveness of Saudi Pe-tra Engineering, and to uplift the capacity of the local sector.

Ahmed Linjawy, president of the industrial and city services division in EEC, said: “KAEC Industrial Valley is continuing

ELECTRICITY

Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has unveiled a comprehensive investment plan for 2011 that in-cludes the construction of 56HV power stations to reach 309,000 new subscribers, as the state-backed supplier races to meet the country’s rising energy demand. A building contract has already been signed for projects in Ri-yadh and the Eastern Province, reports Construction Week.

In a fl urry of notifi cations to Saudi Arabia’s stock exchange, the Tadawul, the company aims to add 1,826MW to the King-dom’s grid next year, the funding for 567MW to derive from private sector investment. This will see 21,000km of distribution lines

to attract reputable industrial companies from Saudi and in-ternationally in various sectors. It offers business-friendly regu-lations, distinctive facilities and land area to host large projects and to meet the requirements of manufacturers and companies.

“The Industrial Valley is effi -ciently integrated with the port, which makes it a prime loca-tion to serve international trade between Europe and Asia and reach 250million consumers in the Middle East and North Af-rica,” said Linjawy.

Founded in 1987, Petra Engi-neering Industries is a company that was established to manufac-ture high-quality commercial and industrial HVAC equipment. It has 1,500 employees in total, with over 300 engineers.

KAEC’s Industrial Valley aims to be a social and eco-nomic enabler for Saudi Arabia, and encourage local and inter-national manufacturers to open large facilities there.

added to its existing network at a cost of $1billion, with work in-cluding the strengthening of ten transfer stations.

A $0.93billion contract has been signed with an undisclosed ‘national company’ for the expan-sion of a power plant in Riyadh and a station village in the coun-try’s eastern province. Exactly 6,510MW will come on-line from 2012, according to chairman Dr Saleh bin Hussein Al Awaji after a board meeting that saw the ratifi -cation of the country’s budget for the upcoming year.

A total of 12,752MW will be added between 2012 and 2016, by which time the company expects its total subscriber base to have increased to 7.9million.

KAEC has been selected as the site for a brand-new HVAC plant.

Saudi Arabia is aiming to ad-dress a surge in demand for pow-er on the back of a rise in both population and industry as its economy expands. Banque Saudi Fransi estimated that the demand is increasing 8%, with peak power demand up 85% between 1999 and 2008, according to its latest electricity sector report.

Around $0.27trillion is needed to meet the country’s need by 2025, it added. Saudi Electricity Company will fi nance the work on the ten transfer stations through a mixture of its own resources and borrowing from the markets, likely through debt issuance.

In July 2010 the country signed a $1.5billion agreement with Egypt to link the countries’ pow-

er grids. The two countries would split the cost of the project – which aims to exchange 3,000MW of electricity between the countries through direct current electrical lines – based on the amount of work on their land. Saudi Electric-ity Company recently completed the pre-qualifi cation process for the construction of a gas-fi red power plant in al-Qurayyah and is inviting bids for the main contract with a deadline of 28 February.

In other news, contracts worth more than $32.8million for wa-ter and sanitation projects in the Eastern Province have been signed. National companies will execute the projects in various parts of the province, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

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UPDATE

8 MEP Middle East | February 2011 www.constructionweekonline.com

HVAC

Carrier has become the fi rst HVAC manufacturer to be awarded the ESMA quality mark for air-con units sold in the UAE market. ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standards and Me-trology) is a federal body, tasked with developing and issuing standards and technical regula-tions in the UAE, and is the sole reference in the country in terms of quality standards.

Their certifi cation covers the complete range of Carrier’s resi-dential air-con units manufac-tured at its Saudi Air-conditioning Manufacturing Company (SAM-CO) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and is applicable to ESMA’s Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme (ECAS). Carrier, a unit of United Technologies, is a global leader in hi-tech heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigera-tion (HVACR) solutions.

Presenting the award to Car-rier, Eng. Mohammed Saleh Badri, ESMA director-general said: “HVAC has an important contribution to make towards

ESMA mark for Carrier a UAE firstQuality mark from federal body for air-con units acknowledges technical standards

Eng. Mohammed Saleh Badri and Philippe Delpech.

HVAC has an important contribution to make towards our quest for energy effi ciency in the UAE. “ Mohammed Saleh Badri

our quest for energy effi ciency in the UAE. We are glad to ac-knowledge Carrier’s product quality and safety standards, demonstrably in full compliance with our requirements. We see this award to Carrier as making a strong contribution in our ef-forts to motivate all HVAC manu-facturers to meet the requisite ECAS thresholds.”

Receiving the award from ESMA, Philippe Delpech, Car-rier EMEA president, said: “Carrier has a proud history of being an integral part of several prominent organisations all over the world dedicated to quality and sustainability, including the Green Building Councils in the US, China and India, Eurovent and AHRI, to name a few.

“We have continued to dem-onstrate our commitment to Carrier’s core values of perfor-mance, quality and environmen-tal stewardship. ESMA’s efforts will go a long way in ensuring higher, and more importantly, consistent levels of quality and sustainability in products

available to the consumer in UAE,” said Delpech.

A team from ESMA had vis-ited SAMCO for a fi rst-hand as-sessment of the quality of Carri-er products manufactured at this facility. The team also evaluated quality of manufacturing pro-cesses and the factory overall, in line with ESMA’s procedure of ensuring consistent quality in all products and factories certifi ed under the ESMA quality mark.

“We see the ESMA certifi ca-tion as an endorsement of Car-rier’s continuous efforts to drive the highest level of quality and performance in the total product range we bring to our customers in the Middle East region,” said Carrier Middle East MD Paul Fraipont. “The rigorous process by which ESMA validates prod-uct quality and performance under ECAS will be of great ben-efi t to the environment and the economy of the UAE.” Last year

Carrier used its Middle East HVAC Engineering Conference to introduce new products and services that were focused on sustainability and high-perfor-mance building solutions.

A total of 16 speakers pre-sented solutions for improving energy effi ciency to an audience of nearly 300 building profes-sionals, demonstrating how to drive sustainability forward in the Middle East region.

In his welcoming remarks at the conference, Carrier presi-dent Geraud Darnis discussed the company’s aim to work with owners, design consultants and contractors to tackle the issue of energy consumption.

“Few innovations have shaped modern life more dramatically than the ability to control the in-door climate, with buildings and cities throughout the Middle East ultimately made possible by this invention,” said Darnis.

The certifi cation covers the complete Carrier range manufactured at SAMCO in Jeddah.

by johnson controls

UPDATE


MESC is confi dent about future growth, says Sallakh.

MESC makes high-voltage cables in Jordan

CABLES

Ducab HV, a joint venture com-pany between Ducab, DEWA and ADWEA, has announced that the construction of its $136.15million factory is on track for completion in the early part of 2011, which will be the fi rst dedicated high-voltage factory in the region. The news came during a celebration marking the completion of the factory’s 148-m-high tower, a new landmark in Jebel Ali, which is believed to be the highest indus-trial tower in the GCC.

The offi cial ceremony was at-tended by Ducab HV board mem-bers HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA; Saeed Al Darmaki, deputy MD of Transco; and Ahmed Al Shaikh, chairman of Ducab. Also in atten-dance were Khansaheb director Tariq Hussain, representing the main civil contractor, and Ducab HV CEO Jon Vail.

The 44-storey tower, housing state-of-the-art extrusion equip-ment, is the most noticeable fea-ture of the new Ducab-HV fac-tory. It is designed to ensure that

Ducab HV factory nears completionFirst dedicated high-voltage cable factory will supply the needs of the entire region

the very high voltage products are manufactured to the highest standards necessary to provide faultless service. The tower will also contain a series of clean-room facilities in the top levels to ensure no contamination of the critical cable insulation. “We are glad to announce the completion

of the vertical extrusion tower at the Ducab HV factory in Jebel Ali, which demonstrates that the project is on track for comple-tion in early 2011.

“These types of high-voltage cables carry electricity loads great enough to power an entire downtown district and, as such,

CABLES

MESC has started trial produc-tion of high-voltage power cables at its premises in Mafraq, Jordan, to supplement its product range of LV and MV cables.

GM Ahmad Sallakh explained that the company is ISO 9001 and BASEC certifi ed for both quality management and product approv-als. “Our product range has passed type-test certifi cation at KEMA Labs BV, and has been approved by such major regional customers as Saudi Electricity Company, Qa-tar Petroleum, JEPCO and Sonel-gas,” said Sallakh.

The medium- and high-voltage plant was established in May

we will ensure that the qual-ity standards of our products not only meet, but surpass, the highest international standards in the industry,” said Al Shaikh.

“Within one year of break-ing ground, we are celebrating this key construction milestone thanks to the excellent work by Khansaheb, and the great efforts of the whole project team. We are approaching the completion of the civil works, and the fi rst machines are already being in-stalled. Commissioning will start in early 2011, followed by rigor-ous testing, and then production of cables for the market later in the year,” said Vail.

“We have enjoyed working closely and successfully with the Ducab HV team to deliver a qual-ity contract in a very challenging time frame,” said Khansaheb operations manager Richard Browne. “This unique project is another great example of the com-mitment of Khansaheb to provid-ing quality construction services to its clients during its 75th year of operation in the UAE.”

2007 at a total initial investment of $56.52million, covering 200,000m2 and supplementing the fi rst plant established on 1992. The MV manufacturing facility has con-tinuous catenary vulcanisation (CCV) lines, extrusion equipment and wire drawing for high-tension power cables from 11kV to 132kV.

“MESC manufactures a compre-hensive range of low- and medium-voltage cables, aluminum conduc-tors and building wires, covering multiple product categories and addressing a series of market seg-ments from energy, oil and gas, power plants and petchem plants to infrastructure, telecoms and construction,” explained Sallakh.

Dignitaries at the celebration to mark the completion of the factory’s tower.

www.constructionweekonline.com

UPDATE

February 2011 | MEP Middle East 11

Saudi Ceramics test runCERAMICS

Saudi Ceramics Company has completed the construction and installation for a new factory that is expected to come on-line dur-ing this quarter, reports Ben Rob-erts from Construction Week. The Riyadh-based fi rm is now start-ing a pilot production for ceramic tubes and is expected to have an annual capacity of 60,000 tons of clay pipes. The annual revenue of the new factory is estimated to be at $30 million.

New factory established to produce sanitaryware, water heaters

MIDDLE EAST ELECTRICITY8-10 FebruaryDubai International Convention & Exhibition CentreMEE will feature around 1,000 national and international exhibitors displaying products, technologies and new innovations from the fi eld of energy.www.middleeastelectricity.com

NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY EXHIBITION8-10 FebruaryDubai International Convention & Exhibition CentreInternational exhibition on energy generation and conservation.www.biztradeshows.com

GULF GLASS7-9 MarchAbu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre Event for glass manufacturers and end users in the Middle East.www.glassinthegulf.com

WETEX8-10 MarchDubai International Convention & Exhibition CentreThe exhibition will feature companies pioneering new technologies and solutions for better management of water, energy and environment.www.wetex.ae

BUILDING MATERIALS & MAINTENANCE21-23 MarchSharjah Expo Centre Comprehensive sourcing platform for the construction industry.www.biztradeshows.com

ARABIAN CONSTRUCTION WEEK28-30 MarchAbu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre A three-day event for the construction sector.www.arabianconstructionweek.com

EVENTS

The new facility has been funded 50-50 by Saudi Ceram-ics Company and subsidiary Ce-ramic Pipe Company. It will be overseen by its own management and general manager. Saudi Ce-ramics Company manufactures tiles and bathroom-ware as well as water heaters.

CEO Abdulkareem Alnafi e told Construction Week that the com-pany had seen a gap in the Saudi market as a big distruibuitor of clay pipes, which will chiefl y be

used for water drainage from res-idential buildings. “We hopefully will be starting it in the fi rst quar-ter, though it is a highly technical product,” he said.

“Mainly it is aimed at the wa-ter companies and government, those working on water infra-structure,” he added, though said there is no limit to the product being distributed internationally. Saudi Ceramics already has cus-tomers in Europe for its existing product lines.

Saudi DC contract is awarded to DSWP CABLES & WIRES

Electrical and power equipment company Havells India has dou-bled its cable and wire manufac-turing capability at an investment of Rs1.2billion. The company, with a total market share of 10% of the Rs12billion cable and wire industry in India, has expanded its plant at Alwar in Rajasthan.

“The capacity expansion will help the company meet the grow-ing domestic demand, and target new emerging markets such as the MENA region.

“Demand always follows with capacity and, with the expan-sion, the company would be able to meet the domestic demand as well as target the markets of Middle East and Africa,” said Sikka. The company expects the demand for its cable and wire products to hit Rs1.8billion by 2012, on the back of burgeoning demand from the organised con-struction sector and independent home builders.

The wire and cable plant in Alwar was fi rst acquired by the company in 1996. The plant man-ufactures various ranges of LT (low tension), HT (high tension) and EHV (electrical high voltage) cables. The $1.2billion company is present in 50 countries.

DISTRICT COOLING

Drake & Scull Water and Power (DSWP), a subsidiary of Drake & Scull International (DSI) PJSC, has been awarded an $79million EPCO (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Operation) contract for a district cooling plant in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “This latest contract win is a step forward for DSI in fur-ther establishing our presence within Saudi Arabia’s growing water and power industry,” said CEO Khaldoun Tabari.

“With a proven track record in this sector, we are able to deliver quality services and projects to our clients due to the niche en-gineering capabilities offered by our water and power busi-ness stream,” said Tabari. The contract includes the design and build of the 35,000TR district cooling plant. DSWP will also be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the project for a period of ten years. The design and build project is scheduled to start immediately and will take 18 months to complete.

“We are confi dent that our past technical and operational

Havells India

knowledge in the fi eld, a strong portfolio of prominent projects, which includes two of the world’s largest district cooling plants lo-cated in Dubai, and our under-standing of the complex Saudi market dynamics, will support us in achieving success in the Kingdom and the region as a whole,” said DSWP executive di-rector Tawfi q Abu Soud.

As of September 2010, DSI’s projects in Saudi Arabia contrib-uted to 29% of the company’s to-tal backlog, including the back-log consolidation of recently acquired Drake & Scull Inter-national Saudi, although Tabari said: “DSI aims to increase the fi gure to 50% by 2011 by continu-ing to focus our efforts and re-sources on the MEP division and in the Kingdom’s water and pow-er industry, which has proved to be highly lucrative.”

In other news, DSI has se-cured a $70million loan facility from BNP Paribas to fi nance its recent acquisitions. The loan from the French bank will have a three-year maturity and will give a boost to its aggressive expan-sion across the Middle East.

UPDATE


Elapco clinches dealHVAC

Midea, a major manufacturer of domestic appliances and air-conditioning based in China, has signed an exclusive market-ing and distribution agreement with Elapco covering the UAE, Iraq and Sudan. “Our valued customers will now have access to a more comprehensive range of green-compliant air-con prod-ucts. In addition, the new range also offers tailor-made solutions as per environmental needs and customers requirements,” said Elapco Group MD Hasan Alami.

“Through this tie-up we aspire to reach new prospects in these emerging markets. Midea is a top manufacturer of commercial and domestic air-conditioning, and we are happy to extend this partnership to our customers in the UAE, Iraq and Sudan,” said Alami. The Elapco Group carries the full Midea and MDV range, from window, split and ducted split to roof-top package, AHU, VRF units and chillers. The

products range from 1 ton (1.5 HP) to 2,000 tons (2,500 HP). All the company’s products have been awarded ISO 9001 interna-tional quality certifi cation.

The company’s solutions cater for high-rise buildings, malls, large and small-scale residential and commercial developments. The addition of the Midea prod-uct line to Elapco’s existing Fujit-su (Japan), Zamil Cooline (KSA) and Sampo Copper products (South Korea) will enable Elapco to comprehensively address and satisfy market demands for both residential and commercial use.

“At Midea we are committed to provide global consumers with more energy-conserving prod-ucts. We make sure we carry this green philosophy throughout the product lifecycle,” said Midea HVAC president Peter Guan.

Key global projects that Midea has recently supplied include Beijing Capital International Airport in China and the Dubai Metro in the UAE.

WATER MANAGEMENT

A specialised water management, irrigation and environmental company has been launched in the Middle East. EPIC Green So-lutions offers innovative systems and solutions for use in urban and agricultural irrigation, stormwa-ter management and bio-fi ltra-tion of water. The international company, which is based in the UAE, uses patented technology originally from the US.

According to EPIC Green’s co-founder, Charlie Fleifel, “EPIC Green Solutions is an innovative environmental company that boasts state-of-the-art systems and solutions that can green the region in a sustainable manner.” The company’s systems and solutions, designed by world-renowned environmental experts and manufactured in technologi-cally-advanced laboratories and factories, collect, fi lter, store and channel ground and rainwater for re-use in both public and private spaces of varying sizes.

‘Epic’ water-management“Our effi cient water system

is the only one of its kind in the world and, we believe, is going to drastically alter people’s percep-tions,” said Fleifel.

EPIC, an acronym for Environ-mental Passive Integrated Cham-ber system, uses simple technol-ogy, is low maintenance and is designed to allow water savings of up to 50% to 80%.

“Our subsurface irrigation system is endorsed by leading landscape architects and envi-ronmental engineers. and can be installed anywhere, from private homes to hotels, government buildings, schools, hospitals, public parks, farms and more,” said MD Bart Rehbein.

“Our systems aim to encour-age people in the Middle East to re-use grey water, which is essen-tially water that’s generated from domestic activities such as laun-dry, dishwashing and bathing, and which can be recycled on-site for uses such as landscape irriga-tion and constructed wetlands.”

CHILLERS

Johnson Controls supplied York YR water-cooled hermetic screw chillers for the 2nd Asian Beach Games in Muscat, Oman. “We are proud to be associated with the Oman Olympic Com-mittee and Oman Tourism De-velopment Corporation in this endeavor to establish Oman as a destination for sport tourism in the GCC,” said Magdy Mekky, Johnson Controls VP and MD for the Middle East.“Oman remains an area of high-growth potential. Since 2008, we have established our own of-fi ces in Shatti-al-Qurum, Mus-cat. This allows us to focus on our clients and offer unique so-lutions based on innovation and

York chillers for Oman sport eventWater-cooled hermetic screw chillers for the 2nd Asian Beach Games held in Muscat

our market leading technology,” said Mekky.Johnson Controls has worked closely with the project

development team of the Oman Tourism Development Corpo-ration to provide a world-class cooling solution based on ultra

high effi ciency York YR chillers (used in many LEED-certifi ed green buildings) and 600 low-noise, high-effi ciency fan coil units. The York YR chillers will add to the comfort of residents at the games village by supply-ing 6,312 litres per minute of chilled water under stringent operating conditions at a high part-load effi ciency of 6.452.“We are delighted that, due to the efforts of the organisers, the environment has emerged as the true winner in these games. The decision to use York high-effi ciency chillers has given a boost to sustainable develop-ment and reduced the carbon footprint of the games facility,” said Mekky.

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GLOBAL NEWS


SOUTH AFRICASouth Africa has unveiled plans for what it claims will be the world’s biggest solar power plant – a radical step in a coal-dependent country where one in six people still lacks electricity. The project, expected to cost up to R200bill-ion rand, would aim by the end of its fi rst decade to achieve an annual output of fi ve GW of electricity, currently one-tenth of the country’s energy needs. Giant mirrors and solar panels would be spread across the Northern Cape province, which the government says is among the sunniest 3% of regions in the world, with minimal cloud or rain. The government hopes the solar park will help reduce carbon emissions from Africa’s biggest economy, which is still more than 90% dependent on coal-fi red power stations. In April, the World Bank came in for sharp criticism from environmentalists for approv-ing a $3.75bn loan to build one of the world’s largest coal-fi red power plants in the country.

SPAINTwo people died and 29 others became ill after an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Madrid towards the end of 2010. The city health depart-ment said more than 230 air-con systems in the capital were inspected in an attempt to locate the source of the outbreak. Two men died from the disease. Of the 29 people treated, 21 were admitted to hospital. Legionnaires’ disease, named after an outbreak at an American Legion convention in 1976 where 34 people died, is caused by a bacterium most often found in sources of standing water and can be contracted by breathing air contaminated by the bacterium. The elderly and people with weak immune systems or lung problems are most susceptible.

UNITED STATESSiemens has been awarded a US$38.5 million project to improve the energy effi ciency of government buildings in the southwest US. The federal govern-ment is the single largest user of energy in the US, but had been charged by President Barack Obama to improve energy effi ciency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its building stock. Siemens will implement renewable energy and building automation systems including PV, HVAC and lighting control systems. Improvements to buildings such as thermal pane windows and insulation will also be installed during the 26-month programme, along with water-saving plumbing and energy-effi cient light-ing. Once construction is completed, the improvements are expected to save $1.7million in the fi rst year, increasing to a projected $2.6million a year. Some retrofi tting and building upgrades are already underway in some facilities, and are scheduled for completion in October 2012.

s for what it claims will be the world’s biggest ep in a coal-dependent country where one in . The project, expected to cost up to R200bill-of its fi rst decade to achieve an annual output

ntly one-tenth of the country’s energy needs. would be spread across the Northern Cape

nt says is among the sunniest 3% of regions inor rain. The government hopes the solar park ons from Africa’s biggest economy, which nt on coal-fi red power stations. In April, the criticism from environmentalists for approv-

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p , p pr, increasing to a projected $2.6million a year.upgrades are already underway in some

r completion in October 2012.


GLOBAL NEWS

SINGAPOREAlstom has won an order worth about €260million to construct a new power plant for Tuas Power Generation Pte in Singapore. TPG, owned by NYSE-listed Huaneng Power International and one of Singapore’s largest power genera-tion companies, already operates four existing combined cycle power plants and two oil-fi red steam power plants. The order includes an EPC contract for the construction of a new 400MW gas-fi red com-bined cycle power plant CCP5, as well as a six-year maintenance con-tract. Alstom will provide the entire power plant and all associated

equipment, including a GT26 gas turbine, steam turbine and

heat recovery steam generator.

FRANCEAlstom and EDP Renewables (EDPR), the third-largest wind energy company in the world, have signed the Provisional Acceptance Certifi cate of the Le Mée wind farm in La Région Centre, France. The 18 MW farm consists of six 3MW Alstom ECO 100 wind turbines. Alstom delivered, in-stalled and commissioned the turbines, and is responsible for their opera-tion and maintenance for the next two years. Alstom has now installed and commissioned 27 ECO 100 wind turbines for EDPR in the Centre region, providing more than 80MW, the equivalent of about 50 000 households, the size of a city like Orléans. The French government plans to generate up to 23% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

SOUTH KOREASouth Korean consumer electron-ics giant LG Electronics has re-ported a steep decline in quarterly earnings, and offered a gloomy outlook. “Profi ts from air-con busi-ness fell signifi cantly on seasonally weak demand, and mobile handsets widened its loss, which deterio-rated overall profi t,” said CFO Jung Do-hyun. The air-con business was hit by the slowing pace of the economic recovery and the cut in government stimulus pack-ages, LG said. Meager demand in Europe and North Amerca led to the air-con business’s $52.4billion in operating loss, compared with a $10.6billion loss a year ago. LG said the company expects to have hard quarters ahead, due to soft global demand and intensifying competi-tion from rivals.

INDIAThe Indian government is considering using revenue from a coal tax for a fund designed to minimise the risk of fi nancing solar projects. “It is a risk mitigation fund, in the range of a few billion rupees,” said Debashish Majum-dar, MD of the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency. India aims to have 1 000MW of solar capacity connected to the electricity grid by 2013 and 2, 00 MW by 2022, from just 10MW at present, by offering fi nancial in-centives such as special tariffs. Commercial banks say they are reluctant to lend to project developers seeking to take advantage of the solar incentives due to unfamiliarity with the new sector, said Majumdar.

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IINININININDDIAThe Indian government is considering using revenue from a coal tax for a fund designed to minimise the risk of fi nancing solar projects. “It is a risk mitigation fund, in the range of a few billion rupees,” said Debashish Majum-dar, MD of the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency. India aims to have 1 000MW of solar capacity connected to the electricity grid by 2013and 2, 00 MW by 2022, from just 10MW at present, by offering fi nancial in-centives such as special tariffs Commercial banks say they are reluctant to

NEWS ANALYSIS


NATATORIUM

Philadelphia’s Kappen Aquatic Centre at the Overbrook School for the Blind (OSB) is the US’s fi rst LEED Platinum natatorium. The energy-effi cient design saves 43% of the 25,000 square foot fa-cility’s energy costs compared to a conventional natatorium.

The majority of the savings come from off-peak energy load-ing, architectural building enve-lope features such as insulated concrete forms and a HVAC de-humidifi cation system that uses heat recovery from its dehumidi-fi cation cycle to partially-heat/cool the space, while also provid-ing free pool water heating to the 75-by-50 foot competition pool and large therapy pool.

However, the $11 million proj-ect for OSB’s 200 visually-im-paired and handicapped children was not conceived as a LEED project. Instead, OSB offi cials had simply requested a green, energy-effi cient aquatic facility to replace the campus’s 102-year-old former pool building. Halfway through the project, the design team realised there were enough potential credits for LEED

US’s first LEED Platinum natatoriumThe energy-effi cient design saves 43% of the 25,000 square foot facility’s energy costs

Platinum. “We were surprised to discover our fi nal design strate-gies could accumulate 53 credits, which would qualify it as the fi rst LEED Platinum natatorium in the country,” said Daley + Jalboot Architects project manager Amie Leighton. Other factors racking up the total LEED credits were water-effi cient landscaping, low-fl ow water-saving fi xtures, recy-cled and local materials, low vola-tile organic compound (VOC) materials and 77% construction waste recycling.

The HVAC portion of the de-sign includes energy recovery equipment and fabric ductwork. The BAS system was also vital to the overall energy savings.

The Dry-O-Tron model DS-282 by Dectron dehumidifi es the space to 50% relative humid-ity (RH) with its environment-friendly R-134a dual refrigeration circuits, heats or cools the space,

An example of anatatorium or aquatic centre.

has built-in exhaust, two-inch in-sulated casing and uses a hot gas heat recovery method to provide both free air and pool water heat-ing prior to any heat rejection to the outdoor condenser.

An estimated 100,000 gallons of recovered condensate from the dehumidifi cation process is sanitised and returned to the pool annually as a water conservation strategy. One of several engineer-ing requests was exhaust energy recovery using the dehumidi-fi er’s glycol Smart Saver passive heat recovery system. The use of glycol as a thermal fl uid allows the Smart Saver system to save substantial energy year-round by pre-cooling or pre-heating the outdoor air.

The locker rooms also received special energy-saving equipment. An enthalpy wheel-equipped energy recovery air-handling unit controls the locker room

The majority of the savings come from off-peak energy loading, architectural building envelope features such as insulated concrete forms and a HVAC dehumidifi cation system.“

environment. The 4,000cfm unit has capabilities of pre-heating 11˚ to 58˚F or pre-cooling 93˚F dry bulb/75˚ F wet bulb to 81.7˚F dry bulb/68.4˚F wet bulb. Other equipment includes nine 310 Mbh, 93% effi cient boilers for do-mestic hot water. All water-circu-lating pumps are manufactured by Bell & Gossett.

As touch and hearing are im-portant to the school’s vision-im-paired students, the design team incorporated several non-energy related features. The dehumidi-fi er, for example, was built with the two fan/motor/blower as-semblies on springs to isolate any mechanical vibration from the building structure.

Likewise, mechanical noise is also an issue for blind students. A low sound outdoor condenser was specifi ed to run at 560rpm and a sound pressure rating of 62dba at 10 feet from the unit.


NEWS ANALYSIS


DESIGN

Foster + Partners, the UK-based architectural fi rm behind such innovative designs as Qatar’s Lu-sail Iconic Stadium and Masdar City, has unveiled yet another breathtaking concept with its de-sign for the Zayed National Mu-seum in Abu Dhabi. The design comprises fi ve wing-shaped solar towers sculpted aerodynami-cally to work like the feathers of a bird’s wing and draw cooling air currents through the museum.

Conceived as a monument and memorial to the late founding president of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the wing-shaped design was chosen to refl ect Sheikh Zayed’s love of falconry. The museum will be the centrepiece of the Saadiyat Island Cultural District with the fi ve lightweight steel towers sitting atop a man-made, landscaped mound and the museum’s galler-ies placed at their bases.

Fresh air that is captured at low level and drawn through bur-ied ground-cooling pipes is re-leased into the museum’s lobby. As the towers heat up, they act as thermal chimneys to draw the air up vertically through the gal-leries by way of the thermal stack effect. The thermal stack effect, also referred to as the chimney effect, is driven by buoyancy that occurs due to a difference in indoor-to-outdoor air density resulting from temperature and moisture differences.

The greater the thermal dif-ference and the height of the

Thermal chimneys for Zayed MuseumThe towers act as thermal chimneys to draw the air up vertically through the galleries

structure, the greater the buoy-ancy force, and thus the thermal stack effect. Air vents at the top of the wing-shaped towers also take advantage of the negative pres-sure on the lee side of the wing profi le to draw the hot air out and keep the structures ventilated.

The central lobby is dug into the earth to take advantage of its thermal properties, while the interior spaces open up to an outdoor arena for live displays featuring hunting birds. There is also a gallery devoted to falconry as part of a wider focus on con-servation. “We have sought to es-tablish a building that will be an exemplar of sustainable design, resonating with Sheikh Zayed’s love of nature and his wider heri-tage,” said Lord Norman Foster.

Saadiyat Island is located 500m off the coast of Abu Dhabi and is the largest single mixed-use de-velopment in the Arabian Gulf. Arranged as seven districts, the Cultural District will also include the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Mu-seum, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, as well as a Performing Arts Centre and Maritime Museum. The Zayed National Museum is already under construction and will be the fi rst of the museums proposed for the island.

We have sought to establish abuilding that will be an exemplar ofsustainable design, resonating with Sheikh Zayed’s love of nature and his wider heritage.“ Lord Norman Foster

2014Estimated completion date

Renderings of the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi.

NEWS ANALYSIS


SOLAR COOLING

A lot of the criticism surrounding Qatar’s bid for the 2022 World Cup focused on the climate issue, given that most of the games will be played during the country’s hottest months of the year.

However, Qatar plans to air-condition its stadia, with engi-neering giant Arup revealing it is possible to keep the football stadia both cool and sustainable even at the peak.

The venues’ solar panels will operate year-round, continuously exporting electrical energy to the grid. On a match day, the re-sultant higher electrical demand will bring electricity back into the facility from the grid.

This electricity, together with generators using biofuels, pro-vide robust and reliable power for both technical and general power, so the events are assured power during the World Cup.

The amount of electricity gen-erated in this manner from the sun exceeds the amount of elec-tricity imported for events over the year, making the facility zero carbon for electricity.

Qatar’s successful 2022 FIFA World Cup award was aided by a 500-seater ‘demonstration’ sta-dium, used as a high-profi le plat-form to refi ne technologies.

The Showcase stadium was

Solar cooling tech for Qatar stadiaArup reveals ambitious plan to keep stadia cool and sustainable even at summer peak

A 500-seat ‘demonstration’ or showcase stadium has been built to refi ne the solar air-con technology that will be deployed in Qatar.

COOLING CLAIMS FACE HEAT

Qatar’s recent 2022 World Cup win has brought about a focus on large scale air-conditioning, particularly when summer temperatures in the country regularly pass 40°C. Twelve stadia will be built in total, with several being ‘open air’. All will incorporate solar technology to generate electricity, and when not in use this will be diverted back onto the grid. This arrangement is claimed to facilitate carbon-neutral stadiums.

However, this claim has been challenged due to the gas used in the actual A/C units, which will produce a degree of leakage into the at-mosphere. Furthermore, the huge energy demands required to power the facilities may not be fully covered by solar technology.

Writing in The Telegraph, Professor Graeme Maidment, South Bank University, said: “Although the stadia claim to be ‘carbon neutral’, it is not clear whether this assessment has included the impact of cooling gases; 10% of all greenhouse gases are from refrigeration and air-con; about one third of this is from air-con.”

The amount of energy that will be used is immeasurable at the mo-ment. However, David Butler of the Building Research Establishment said: “Putting solar panels on the outside of the Qatari stadium will not generate enough energy to cool it. They will simply run out of juice as the amount of energy required will far outstrip the number of panels.”

Maidment suggests adopting a cooling cycle approach to harness the heat. “We would encourage them to use adsorption and absorption bridge technology, which means the cooling will be powered by renew-able means.”

commissioned to demonstrate to FIFA and the worldwide audience that the climate over the summer months is not a barrier to hosting global events.

The showcase incorporates PV to convert the energy of the sun into electricity, and capturing and converting the sun’s heat into cooling for summertime air-con using under-seat supply.


NEWS ANALYSIS

On the site next to the PV pan-els is an array of solar heat col-lectors. These have a series of motorised mirrors that track the sun, focussing the sun’s power onto collecting tubes, which have hot water circulating in them.

They collect this energy in the form of heat, which is converted into cooling for the showcase environment, and electricity to supply lighting, power and other functions within the space.

The solar energy heats water to 200°C, and is converted to cooling water by absorption chill-ers. The air-handling units sup-ply this air to the area beneath the spectator seats.

This cools the seating area of the stadium, and fl ows down to create cooling for the players. Importantly, the surfaces of the showcase are designed to remain cool throughout the match to help to stabilise the heat gains from lights and people. The canopy roof is a world-fi rst.

The maximum temperatures are below the relevant guidelines set by the FIFA medical commit-tee so as to avoid players suffer-ing signifi cant heat stress, and also beat the ASHRAE comfort standards for spectators. During the FIFA visit to the showcase stadium, with an outside tem-perature of 44°C only two hours

earlier, the temperature on the pitch was 23°C.

Prior to any matches, the showcase runs empty, and with-out people for the day before the event, will make best use of the sun’s free energy to cool the building and the pitch down.

The canopy roof, believed to be the fi rst of its kind in the world, moves to provide cooling shade within the building and in-sulates against the hot sun.

The canopy can be positioned to protect from wind during match times, and let spectators and players take advantage of natural ventilation.

The canopy roof can be closed in the run-up to any soccer event, so as to allow the cooling to work at maximum effi ciency. This will cool down the total stadium vol-ume ready for match time in the summer evenings, at which point the roof can be opened to reveal the view of the sky.

Capacity of the ‘Showcase’ demonstration stadium

500SEAT

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NEWS ANALYSIS


INFRASTRUCTURE

The 2022 FIFA World Cup pos-es a massive infrastructural challenge for Kahramaa (Qatar General Electricity and Wa-ter Corporation, said Cognyst International MD Dr Howard Scott at the Smart Grids Middle East conference in Dubai.

“Utilities worldwide have decided to become smart. The reason is very simple, as utili-ties have to serve the advanc-ing needs of their customers and their countries. They must gather much more data in order to be able to do that, and then they have to use that data to im-prove the performance of their services. This trend is happen-ing everywhere. So the fact we are seeing a signifi cant increase in interest in smart grids from the Gulf is no surprise at all.

“This is the very fi rst time there has ever been a World Cup in this part of the world. Most of the anticipated infl ux of visitors from the Americas, Asia and Eu-rope will never have been to the region before, and will have no idea how modern or diverse it is. Hence it will become a global showcase for the entire region,” said Dr Scott.

“The end result is going to be an astounding growth in infra-structure in the region. This will be advanced mainly by smart grids and smart metering. The reason for this is you cannot do all that is needed in terms of hosting such an event without having the basic infrastructure in place. Nothing runs without electricity; people cannot sur-vive without water.

“The huge number of people coming here will challenge what exists today. As a result, utilities such as Kahramaa will have to plan now what is going to be needed for dealing with that demand in 12 years,” urged Dr Scott. The massive demand

World Cup a big challenge for QatarHuge additional demand for water supply and sewerage treatment due to tourist infl ux

An ecstatic HE Sheikh Mohammes bin Hamad Al-Thani, chairman of the Qatar bid, hoists the trophy after win-ning the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.


NEWS ANALYSIS

posed for hotels and restaurants means the grid and water infra-structure have to be dramati-cally expanded. “The challenge for Qatar is that it will have to be better than the previous venue, and that is not so easy to do, with South Africa having set a very high standard. There was little disruption to matches; it did not have power outages or shortages of potable water, and so forth. It was an excel-lent showcase for local culture; there was superb improvements made to the transportation sys-tem; the stadia were magnifi -cent. Qatar has to do all this and much more,” argued Dr Scott.

“When the visitors leave, they must be happy and praise the region and its people, its safety and its progress. This is all easily doable – but you need to start planning now.” Dr Scott praised the solar-powered and cooled stadia, while stressing

Kahramaa will be a role model for all utilities. This is an opportunity to redefi ne the industry. The real goal is to use the World Cup to build for the future. “

the importance of timing. “You cannot really start building the stadia now, because they will be old by the time you host the event in 12 years. One has to balance the risk of when do you start with are we going to be ready in time.”

A requirement of such a ma-jor international event is no power outages or brownouts, which meant South Africa had to build two sub-stations for ev-ery stadium. “Effectively each of these stadiums became a mi-cro grid. There was a primary sub station, a ‘hot’ back-up, and then if that went down, the host city was the second back-up. It was an astounding amount of infrastructural development re-quired,” said Dr Scott.

He pointed out that South Africa did not have suffi cient time to implement energy effi -ciency at its stadia, which poses a huge opportunity for Qatar to

showcase the latest technology and design. “You will fi nd that with the modern stadiums to be built in Qatar, they will think about this. They will want to make sure that people look upon them as real leaders. They have 12 years to do that.”

Dr Scott also warned it did not make sense to concentrate the necessary construction in a “big blip towards the end. What make sense is to build up to the event, as you are going to want to start testing the infrastruc-ture and be able to use all these hotels and restaurants in the run-up to the event.

“There were over three mil-lion attendees at the event in South Africa. The current popu-lation of Qatar is 1.6million. If you look at a similar six-week time period of the event as in South Africa, you are going to have at least 500,000 new visi-tors at any one time.

“Kahramaa will be a role mod-el for all utilities. This is an op-portunity to redefi ne the indus-try. It is not that easy for such a small country to hold such a huge event. Remember, this is a one-time only event. The real goal is to use the World Cup to build for the future.”

MEP AWARDS


GET READY FOR MEP AWARDS 2011The Web site for the MEP Awards 2011 will go live soon, with a full listing of this year’s categories and details on how to submit nominations on-line.

ast year’s awards event was held at the Westin in Dubai, and celebrated the achievements of the MEP sector after what was billed as a ‘diffi cult year’.

The MEP awards, now in its fi fth year in 2011, honours those indi-viduals, companies, projects, in-

novations and achievements that have stood

INNOVATION OF THE YEAR: BladeRoomME HEALTH & SAFETY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: BK GulfPROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR: D. Sampath – VoltasYOUNG ENGINEER OF THE YEAR: Hassan Youness – DC Pro EngineeringENGINEER OF THE YEAR: Paul Allen – Red EngineeringSUSTAINABLE GCC PROJECT OF THE YEAR: Dubai Studio City, TecomInvestmentsOVERALL GCC PROJECT OF THE YEAR: Ferrari World, VoltasME SPECIALIST CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR: CKR Consulting EngineersME SPECIALIST CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR: Al Shirawi US ChillersME MEP CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR: AtkinsME MEP CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR: Voltas

MEP AWARDS 2010 WINNERS

out in the sector – especially in 2010, a year when, in the wake of the downturn, compa-nies had to take stock of their business mod-els and realign for future growth.

Last year’s judges commented on an “as-tounding” range of projects submitted. “It is great to see many of them still being deliv-ered by excellent MEP professionals.” The

2010 Awards had a record number of entries over the previous year, refl ecting the resi-lience and tenacity of the sector.

“There is a saying that, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. In the face of much adversity in 2010, the MEP sector knuckled down to what it excels at: making buildings work,” said the judges.

“One of the dominant points in the project category was only one single consultancy entry, with all the rest coming from contrac-tors and one from the supply/delivery chain. This just amplifi es the depth of skills cur-rently present in the Middle East.

“The sheer scale of many of the projects was also mind-boggling, although it may well be this will not be seen again in the near fu-ture – which is a shame, of course, but we do have to build for the human scale, not just the Google scale!” said the judges.www.constructionweekonline.com/mepawards

Back: Sougata Nandi, TECOM Investments; James Keirle, BK Gulf Group; Richard Smith, Atkins; Ralph D'Souza, Voltas; Navin Valrani, Al Shirawi U.S. Chillers; Shaukat Ali Mir, Voltas; Michael Berry, CKR Consulting Engineers; Anil Menon, CKR Consulting Engineers; Front: Trevor Powell, Red Engineering; Paul Allen, Red Engineering; Gopal Sharma, Voltas; Hassan Youness, DC Pro Engineering; Jeán van Loggerenberg, CKR Consulting Engineers.


MEP AWARDS

SHORTLISTBK Gulf GroupDrake & Scull InternationalRental Solutions & ServicesTrent Technical ServicesAl Shirawi U.S. Chillers

WINNERAl Shirawi U.S. Chillers

Al Shirawi US Chillers won Middle East Specialist Contractor of the Year at the MEP Awards 2010, held last night at the Westin in Dubai. “Maintenance is an area of MEP that

is growing in importance, along with energy effi ciency. We are a heavy-tonnage chiller as well as an energy solutions provider. We eat, sleep and breathe chillers,” said Al Shirawi U.S. Chillers director Navin Valrani.

“Our speciality is to offer and maintain chilled water plants that beat the design parameters set by the OEMs. With the cur-rent economic climate, we see the scope for retrofi tting increasing in future. Business is picking up, we are gaining market share, and we are looking forward to a really good

2011,” said Valrani. The judges commented that this was probably the hardest category to adjudicate, given the wide range of spe-cialists represented and the broad scope of services offered. Each submission demon-strated a highly skilled and specialised area of the MEP contracting business. There was one Highly Commended nominee: the judges praised BK Gulf for its initiatives to improve prefabrication in the local market.

The winner “is not only a maintenance company, but utilises the latest technology on behalf of its clients. Trusted by many top-end customers, it maintains an enviable reputa-tion. The winner champions a customer-focused approach to fi eld engineering and consultation services.

SPECIALIST CONTRACTOR 2010

SHORTLISTAl Mashriq International Engineering Consultancy CKR Consulting Engineers Red Engineering Specialised Engineering Consultants (SPeC) KEO International Consultants

WINNERCKR Consulting Engineers

The judges noted the exceptional ca-pability of this consultancy “to drive the best possible value cutting-edge technology. This is key to the future development of the MEP sector, es-

pecially given the huge emphasis placed on these services in the current hi-tech build-ing automation arena.”

The judges also noted that CKR Consult-ing Engineers “is probably one of only a handful of consultancies in the world able

to offer the full gamut of in-house services from concept to completion, from tradition-al MEP works to high-end electronics and IT/integrated systems.”

Founded in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1983, CKR established a Dubai division in 2001. In a decade it has clocked up such iconic projects as the Royal Mirage Resort, Bab Al Shams and Madinat Jumeirah.

One of a handful of consultancies able to offer the full gamut of in-house services from traditional MEP works to

high-end solutions.“ Judges

The winner utilises the latest technology on behalf of its

clients.“ Judges

SPECIALIST CONSULTANCY 2010

ll gamut of in-house servletion, from tradi

ectronic

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

DuediligenceRamboll sustainability and renewables director Heath Andersen on the impact of increased due diligence on

consultants and contractors.

ndersen says “the award was a fantastic win. We were very pleased with that. It points to the fact we are doing some-thing right, and people ob-viously appreciate that. It does give some validation to our direction and strat-egy. Part of that has been energy effi ciency and

sustainability, but equally importantly, it has been delivering quality service. It does not matter what services we are delivering here, it is all about the quality at the end of the day. We are designers, and what we deliver on is our reputation. It is probably our main driver, and the key performance indicator of the business.”

Towards the end of last year, Rambol an-nounced it had clinched a slew of project work across the region. The fi rst project was the new 200,000m2 Taj Halab development in Syria’s northern historic city of Aleppo, which Andersen says is expected to go out to tender early this year. Ramboll has provided full building design services for the four-star 150-room Key Novotel and three-star 129-room Key Ibis, in addition to a convention centre that will inter-connect the two hotels.

The second project was the design of the new 285-room, fi ve-star Hilton Hotel on Jor-dan’s east coast, overlooking the Dead Sea. The resort will feature seven restaurants, a spa and one of the largest convention cen-tres in the region. Ramboll has completed the design, and this project is also due to go out to tender, says Andersen.


Closer to home, the third project was a fi ve-storey, 220-bed military hos-pital in Sharjah, comprising two resi-dential buildings for medical staff, a mosque, emergency helipad, air-con ambulance garage, armoury, chemi-cal storage facility and security gatehouse. The total built-up area is 75,000m2, with capacity for 3,000 vis-itors, staff and patients. The fourth project was the 300-bed, 95,000m2 Al Maktoum Accident and Emergency Hospital in Dubai.

Commenting on the challenges of working in markets as diverse as the UAE, Syria and Jordan, Andersen says: “Most of these places have their respective challenges. It is like going into any market. Whether it is Syria, London or Africa, you have got to appreciate the local condi-tions, and you either work with them or you do not work at all.” Ramboll does not have offi ces in most of these areas, but instead “if we have a good client with a project there, we will go over with them, and resource such projects out of this [the Dubai] offi ce.” Piggybacking with clients in this fashion “makes for a good team at the end of the day that is fo-cused and skilled.

“Of course, we want to build new relationships, but it is the existing relationships we value the most, as we have worked with


THE BIG INTERVIEW


these clients in the past, we know what they are after and we have delivered. Our client base is the company’s most important as-set. Existing relationships will become a key theme of the year ahead. It is a defi nite fo-cus that is paying off in terms of continued work,” says Andersen.

Returning to the company’s diverse spread of work, Andersen says this is more of an underlying principle of the company than a conscious strategy in the wake of the down-turn. “Dubai has never been our exclusive focus,” he says. “That has helped us through the lean times in a big way, as it is all about key clients and going wherever they want to go, if it is the right solution. I do see us car-rying out more projects outside of the UAE this year than last year,” says Andersen.

In terms of business going forward into 2011, Andersen notes: “It was surprisingly

busy bid-proposal wise in the fi rst two weeks of the new year. It was quite active even over the Christmas and holiday period. I think a lot of this was people getting out of the gate early in terms of Qatar’s successful 2022 FIFA World Cup bid. Some of it was specula-tive retail stuff, which was interesting to see. Our outlook for 2011 is probably similar to 2010. It is still going to be a tough year, I think, but with a bit of growth, during which we will concentrate on our core services and then look to develop elsewhere in the region,” says Andersen.

The current market is signifi cantly differ-ent to the ‘business as usual’ of the past. “If you could get it done, they were prepared to pay whatever and whoever, whereas now there is so much more due diligence in the process, and you work at it really hard. In a lot of ways it is really good to see that. It is

tough; we are not going to say it is easy. But it is good to see that, because I think we are very strong at analysing a bid and then go-ing on to deliver projects. We enjoy working with other architects and clients who like that as well, because for one it provides an even playing fi eld, one where we can show that we can compete and deliver.

Looking at Dubai in particular, Andersen says this particular segment of the UAE market “is defi nitely quite fl at. Construction-wise we have still a few projects going at a moderate pace. There are defi nitely some more interesting sectors. This is for very specifi c projects, not speculative offi ce or residential, but buildings built for a purpose. They have got a client and a user base, and they are the ones we are seeing in the mar-ket right now. In a lot of ways that is prob-ably Dubai maturing and moving onto the next phase of its construction life, which is what all cities do. It is interesting to see it in Dubai. Construction-wise it has made it a lot smaller market at the moment, which is fair enough, as this is probably where it needs to be,” says Andersen.

“Abu Dhabi is still moving along nicely, which is good. It is probably more govern-ment-driven, as there are not so many of private investors. We still see quite a few projects coming out of there.” In terms of Ramboll’s regional spread, Andersen says “we have a good feeling for 2011 once you tally up Qatar, Saudi and Oman. I think over-all as a region it is looking good. We serve the region out of the Dubai offi ce, and it will keep us busy, I think.”

Another interesting market that Ramboll is attempting to crack is Libya, where it has a project offi ce. “This is a diffi cult market, dominated by Chinese, Korean and Turkish companies. A lot of getting Libya right has meant working with a local partner effec-tively, making sure we have a good relation-ship in place and building on that. They can help us out with local authorities and other issues, and we can help them with the world-class technical skills. We have a good part-ner there so it has been working well for us. But there are lots of challenges, that is for sure,” says Andersen.

Energy savings that can be effected if consultants are incentivised to

produce better designs

40%-50%

Shining Towers in Abu Dhabi is a pair of multi-storey towers (one 33, the other 42), that appear to lean in two directions. Ramboll won Tower of the Year for its work on this project at the Construction Week Awards 2010.


THE BIG INTERVIEW

Ramboll has entered into a unique research project with Samsung Construction to develop a regional database of sustainable construction materials. “We see the market moving a little bit more towards design and build, so we have been developing our relationship with key contractors, Samsung being one of them,” says sustainability and renewables director Heath Andersen.

“We have worked with contractors in the past, but in the last year we broke it down into a couple of key ones we really wanted to develop relationships with, including Samsung, which

has been involved in LEED projects around the region. They are looking to helping their specifi cation ad procurement departments a bit more. What we are actually doing is we are working with Samsung to develop a sustainable materials databse specifi cally for their projects for procuring and bidding in the Middle East.

“We are looking at China, Singapore, India. It is a research project; it is not something where they are trying to make money. It is not only about developing relationships, it is also about trying to give something back to the industry.”

CONTRACTORS FOCUS ON DESIGN, BUILD

In terms of current challenges, Andersen says that payments and liquidity have eased quite a lot due to the banks lending again. “It is more focused now on the clients who have the confi dence to go ahead with a project and are serious about it. There probably were a few more speculative projects a few years ago. We are now carrying out due diligence as much as the client is before we take on a project so as to ensure it is the right project for us and the client.” Andersen says clients are also becoming more sophisticated and demanding. “A consultant is probably 1% to 2% of the total cost. If you give him a little bit extra, they will come up with designs which that will impact on 40% to 50% of the total cost. If you give them a little extra time and incentive, they are bound to deliver a better product. Clients are slowly starting to real-ise and appreciate that, he says.

“Probably one of the better things about the bigger, government-type organisations is they do have a long-term strategy. They understand the operational costs over the lifetime of a building, and are more keen to explore those through lifecycle assessments

I personally would like to see the same standards applied throughout the UAE. “

Heath Andersen

and various other techniques to prove that the project’s options will pay for themselves or will be of value over the entire life of the project. It is good to see more and more clients doing that. As for niche markets for consultants, I still think there are opportuni-ties to show those skills around energy ef-fi ciency and sustainability.”

These issues are becoming more and more important as clients evolve. Andersen adds that Abu Dhabi’s “Estidama [rating system] has been a great initiative. It is a tool for the new decade. It is the evolution of the sustain-ability tools, and it is great to see the Urban Planning Council pushing that through, so let us see where that goes.” Commenting on Abu Dhabi’s new building code, Andersen applauds the unifi cation. “We have designed to British and US standards, and mixes of both which people require, but it is good to see them consolidated into one consist-ent code. I think this is not just good for the industry, but for the end client as well. In many ways this should deliver a more effi cient design process, because you go in knowing exactly what the codes are, rather than having to have discussion and analysis beforehand. This clarity it provides the de-signer will give even better direction, so he can focus on delivering a quality project for the client. I think it is a great step forward.

“I know Dubai has been working on its own green standards as well. I do know the emirates get together and discuss these things. I personally would like to see them have the same standards throughout the UAE. Again it would save the clients and the government money, if it is consistent across the board, and I am sure they are driving to-

wards that. The sooner it comes into play the better it will be for the industry and the end user,” says Andersen. “It takes some of the vagueness out of the process, and it ensures the client gets a building that does what they want it to – and that is what they are after in the end. Building that deliver the needs they have been designed to fulfi ll.”

In terms of latest developments, Andersen says the licence for the new Saudi offi ce “is in process. We are putting some enquiries out through different avenues; a lot of our projects will go through together with an architect. We have also been doing our own direct marketing, to build awareness among clients. Of course, Saudi Arabia is an impor-tant focus for the company. It is a big market with a lot of potential and desire to grow, so we see that as a key part of our strategy in the years going forward.”

Andersen says that staffi ng levels have not yet been fi nalised. “We are doing a few small projects here and there, but once we get some real traction, then we will make some decisions. There are obvious HR is-sues we have to deal with, such as visas, which is tough. I can see it being a project management offi ce where we staff it with project managers and do a lot of the design work in our Dubai offi ce, which is similar to us doing some work out of Europe, depend-ing on the project. We have already been do-ing a couple of projects where the specifi c skills needed, for example, are in Sweden, and then we have project managers on the ground delivering it.”

Looking at the job market, Andersen says “I think it is still probably an employers’ market, though salaries are not going down and have defi nitely stabilised for a while, but it would not take much to turn to an employees’ market. A lot of companies are also looking at different business models for this part of the world, which changes where these resources are required.

“There are always some tweaks going on in any business. It is a constant challenge to ensure we are maintaining the business constantly, as being a consultancy, our prime resources is our staff.

“Making sure we have the right skills and they are in the right frame of mind is a large part of delivering a quality product. It is tough in a tight market as well,” says Andersen.

The region is on an upward curve, says Andersen.

debatePower

MIDDLE EAST ELECTRICITY 2011


Local, regional and international experts will attend Middle East Electricity from 8 to 10 February at the Dubai World Trade Centre

o keep pace with a rapidly-growing economy, as well as a burgeoning population, it is

imperative that regional govern-ments not only expand, but im-prove, their power infrastructure to meet future residential, com-mercial and industrial demand. MEE 2011 exhibition director

Anita Mathews commented: “Smart grids use existing technology that can effi ciently deliver reliable energy, as well as integrating clean and renewable energy, increasing effi -ciency and reducing carbon emissions.”

By tracking the growth in peak demand, energy-management systems can allow the integration of higher ratios of cleaner ener-gy sources, such as wind and solar, into the system. Smart grid technologies also help to manage variances in output and streamline reliability giving a more balanced and sus-tainable supply. “Managing energy through forecast models along with integrated fore-casting technologies which predict the re-newable energy available allow power plants to operate more effi ciently,” said Mathews.

Scott Minos, senior policy and communi-cations specialist at the US Department of Energy, will discuss how the Obama Admin-istration is taking a different energy path to that of George W. Bush, and what the GCC

can learn from its effi ciency models. “Na-tions can take steps to manage energy more productively; this means managing demand, supply and footprint,” said Minos.

Elsewhere on the programme, Alan Shin-gler, Chair of Sustainable Futures Group, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), will look at energy conservation through a building-design approach. “It is pointless em-bracing energy effi ciency if poor or outdated building design is going to consume exces-sive electricity and produce surplus carbon emissions,” added Mathews.

Other speakers include Dr. Maher Cheb-bo, smart grids Chairman of WG3, Europe-an Union, who will present a case study on smart grids, and Dr Dave A. Cartes, direc-tor, Institute for Energy Systems, Economics and Sustainability. MEE, the region’s largest trade show for the power and energy sector, is now in its 36th year, and focuses on the latest developments in the power generation sector in the region.

An example of such developments is the Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC) undertaking a major expansion of its transmission infrastructure aimed at, among other things, connecting three new power schemes to the national grid. Agreements totaling $301.7million have been signed re-cently for the execution of a number of con-tracts that will pave the way for a substantial upgrade of the power grid, also known as the Main Interconnected System (MIS), owned, operated and managed by OETC.

The lion’s share is earmarked for the con-struction of new grid stations and transmis-sion lines designed to evacuate power from two new Independent Power Projects (IPPs) under development at Barka and Sohar on the Batinah coast. Dubbed Barka-3 and So-har-2, the new IPPs will contribute around

Ducab Hall 7, Stand E103M Gulf Zabeel, Stand J01AEI Cables Zabeel Stand W70Atlas Copco Services ME Hall 4, Stand G30Cummins Hall 4, Stand A10Cooper Industries Hall 7, Stand B10Fluke Europe Atrium, Stand 219PTL Solar FZ LLC Hall 8, Stand E19Leroy Somer Hall 3, Stand F50Eaton Corporation Hall 7, Stand D10

EXHIBITORS OF NOTE

Smart grids use existing technology that

can deliver reliable energy effi ciently.“

Anita Mathews

BMI’s Middle East and Africa power-generation estimate for 2010

1,221TWH


MIDDLE EAST ELECTRICITY 2011MIDDLE EAST ELECTRICITY 2011


Interplast Electrical Products, with its diverse product range, offers a one-stop solution to the construction industry for all its electrical products requirements in the low-voltage management segment. Interplast is a fl agship company of the Harwal Group, with global offi ces and operations spread across the Middle East, UK, France, the US, Cyprus, Armenia and Russia.

Interplast manufactures electrical products under its own brands. The company has manufacturing facilities spread across the UAE an Saudi Arabia. These brand names comprise the following product ranges:

Decoduct: conduits, trunking, accessories and industrial cable management systems in uPVC and metal.Edison: Various ranges of switches, sockets and electrical wiring devices and accessories under four series, namely Dura Finish, Designer, Royale and Nano.Intergard: Offers PVC, HDPE and LDPE cable covers, boards and tapes for warning and protection of all kinds of cable distribution systems.Decovolt: A new range that includes lighting, switchgears and metal enclosures.

Visit us at the Middle East Electricity Exhibition at Stand 6A50 in Hall 5.

INTERPLAST ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS

scheme to be evacuated to the grid. Like-wise, OETC is investing $36.4million in a separate contract involving the installation of a 220kV double circuit connecting the So-har 220kV grid station to Seeh al Makarim. This key project is designed to connect the new Sohar-2 power scheme (also boasting a maximum generation capacity of 744MW) to be connected to the national grid.

Other regional developments include Saudi Electricity Company unveiling a com-prehensive investment plan for 2011 that in-cludes the construction of 56HV power sta-tions to reach 309,000 new subscribers, as the state-backed supplier races to meet the country’s rising energy demand. A building contract has already been signed for projects in Riyadh and the Eastern Province.

Saudi Arabia is aiming to address a surge in demand for power on the back of a rise in both population and industry as its economy expands. Banque Saudi Fransi estimated that the demand is increasing 8%.

1,500MW of new power-generation capac-ity to the grid. The most signifi cant by far is a contract for the construction of a new grid station that will connect a giant power scheme planned at Sur in the Sharqiyah re-gion to the power grid.

At 2,000MW, the Sur IPP, currently un-der tender, is set to be the Sultanate’s big-gest greenfi eld power project. To evacuate power from this massive IPP, OETC is com-mitting $86million towards the construction of a 220kV grid station at Sur, as well as an associated overhead transmission line that will run 129km from Sur to Jahlut in Mus-cat Governorate. A further $65million is be-ing earmarked for the construction of new 220KV grid stations at Barka and Misfah (near Rusayl in Muscat Governorate).

The two grid stations will be linked by 53km of 220kV overhead lines and 10km of underground lines. When completed, the new transmission network will allow for power from Barka-3’s new 744MW power

Powersource


The temporary power market is adapting to new market challenges and increasing customer focus on energy effi ciency and technology trends.

lectricity demand in the Mid-dle East is on an accelerating upward curve, peaking dur-

ing the hot summer months when total demand comes perilously close to outstripping generation capacity. “Sum-

mer is a demanding time. As the temperature soars, so of course does the use of elec-

tricity. We regularly work with utility compa-nies in order to ensure that suffi cient power is readily available and supplied consistently throughout the season,” says Aggreko MD Phil Burns.

An example of Aggreko’s proactive ap-proach to helping utilities cope with the summer peak demand has been its project to supply the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) with 100MW of temporary power. Under the scope of the contract, Aggreko supplied pow-er to six sites in the Qassim region, north of the capital Riyadh, with 80MW being sup-plied at 13.8kV and 20MW at 33kV to suit the requirements of the local substations. The company has also supplied the Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) with 117MW across fi ve sites during the three months of the peak summer period.

Another benefi t of this situation has been that supplementing generation capacity due to outages as a result of the peak load, espe-cially in the northern emirates. For example, Rental Solutions & Services (RSS) has sup-plied additional power to the Hail power plant in Saudi Arabia, staving off potential power cuts. “There are power outages in the Gulf

TEMPORARY POWER

30 MEP Middle East | February 2011

region every summer, particularly in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. Moreover, MENA in general is experiencing power outages all year round. This is particu-larly true in Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Algeria due to the lack of power infrastructure,” says RSS GM: power projects Peter den Boogert.

Of course, utilities are not the only sectors making use of temporary power. “There are three major sectors that propel the rental

RSS has supplied iconic Dubai proj-ects such as Meydan Racecourse and and Dubai Metro.

Peter den Boogert.


power business in the region: utilities, con-struction and oil and gas,” says den Boogert. The construction sector has taken a beat-ing during the economic downturn, even if strong declines in some places were offset by government investment programmes in countries such as Saudi Arabia. “Before the recession, the construction industry was our second-largest sector in the Mid-dle East. Diffi cult economic times meant we had to move away from this market, as many projects came to a standstill and were can-celled,” says Burns.

IMPACTAggreko is not the only company that has felt the impact of the global fi nancial crisis. Cummins GM Wassim Abou Shaar concurs that the impact was, indeed, marked, as con-struction accounted for a sizeable chunk of its overall revenue. “Our sales went down by 30% year-on-year in 2009,” says Abou Shaar. “But now we are catching up quickly.”

“The construction industry in the Middle East is defi nitely seeing an upturn,” confi rms

TEMPORARY POWER

Burns. “Of course, with Qatar having staged a successful bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, we anticipate a busy few years in Qatar as it begins construction on the many stadia and hotels needed to host the event.”

“I hope that the evolution of gensets and engines over the last decade continues on the same scale during the next 12 years lead-ing up to the World Cup, so we are able to offer achievable solutions to Qatar,” says den Boogert.” Apart from the genset side, a couple like RSS is also able to offer its cool-ing expertise. “We have the ideas, we have the assets and we have the experience to as-sist with the air-con for these large types of outdoor events.”

The prevailing economic situation has not been entirely bad for rental companies, points out Burns. “Rental power became a popular option for companies in all industries during the downturn, as companies tried to prevent large capex.” Another consequence of this trend has seen rental companies pushing ever further afi eld, with Cummins for example focusing on US military instal-


TEMPORARY POWER


Wassim Abou Shaar from Cummins.

lations in Iraq. Based in the harsh desert cli-mate of Iraq and Afghanistan without access to a reliable grid, US and coalition forces have a huge demand for small-scale power plants and machine engines. “We cater for almost the entire Middle East market from our headquarters in Dubai, so if the market slows down a little in the UAE, for instance, we can pick up the slack in Afghanistan and Iraq,” notes Abou Shaar.

“The region is very important to us,” af-fi rms den Boogert. “2011 will be focused mainly on moving further afi eld. We are keeping the door open for countries like Af-ghanistan. Iraq and Yemen, which are in dire need of power infra-structure. We are also look-ing into Africa and South America.”

RSS is one of the newest rental companies in the sec-tor, having set up shop in the Dubai in 2007. “The in-spiration behind the com-pany was people involved

with the manufacture of cooling equipment, who hit on the idea of chiller rentals. The idea behind this was that, with chillers hav-ing to run off motors, gensets would have to be supplied as well,” explains den Boog-ert. Thus RSS progressed from cooling to gensets and then ultimately temporary pow-er supply, with den Boogert newly-appointed to oversee the growth and development of this fl edgling division.

“An ancillary focus of power is, of course, water. We are able to pack a reverse osmosis installation into a container for easy transport and install it on-site for water provision.” An

overarching focus is what den Boogert terms ‘consultancy services engi-

neering’. “The good thing about such an expanded focus is that if you have to maintain overall customer assets, then you can bring in your assets as well for emergencies.

24/7 BUSINESS“Rental is a 24/7 business; it is fulfi lling customer needs in a very short period of time,” says den Boogert. Another key differ-

entiator is that the com-pany retains the

assets after the rental period is over. This might seem like stat-ing the obvious, but it is a major focal point that underlines every aspect of the business. “Our

sales managers get the assets back after the rental period, whereas when a dealer closes a sale, the transaction, project and process is fi nished. So we have a 24/7 model, which is appreciated by a lot of our customers, as we can deliver services on a continual basis. This is not an exceptional undertaking for us; it is an ordinary requirement. That as-pect of the business is becoming ever more interesting,” says den Boogert.

In terms of major cooling projects, RSS supplied all the temporary air-con needs for the Dubai Metro Red line, and will be doing the same for the Green line. “I prefer the term semi-permanent rather than temporary solutions. It is a lot like Portacabins in that everybody requires them for a couple of months, and then if you look back, they stay for years and years and essentially become part of the infrastructure.”

This segues neatly into the topic of inde-pendent power plant (IPP), as opposed to temporary solutions, which den Boogert explains is integrated with a substation-like structure. “These power plants, consist-ing of generators, fuel tanks, cables and a transformer are very sophisticated pieces of equipment that can be considered as substa-tions, as they have all the main features inte-grated into them, including safety and secu-rity. We can guarantee the same parameters as an installed substation. All we need for the transformers is a power grid somewhere that we can connect directly into.”

These IPPs are transported directly to site in 20 to 40 foot long containers. “That is the good part about them, as they can be installed in a very short space of time,” says den Boogert. “What this is essentially is dis-tributed generation, bringing the power gen-

Phil Burns from Aggreko.A 40MW temporary power project supplied by Aggreko.

32 MEP Middle East | February 2011


TEMPORARY POWER

eration closer to the end customer, which is the main problem today, particularly in the remote areas of the Middle East. Even in other areas like Asia, Africa, South America and even Europe, growth has been higher than expected, both in population and power consumption, meaning that the infrastruc-ture has not coped with the demands being placed on it.”

AIR-CONA big culprit in the Middle East has been the large-scale application of air-con to maintain Western-style comfort levels. “Today the power peaks are in the summer due to air-con being freely available to the masses. If you look at the proportion of air-con to in-frastructure in a place like Bangladesh, it is clearly not sustainable,” argues den Boog-ert. “I believe that distributed generation is the best solution to these types of problems, even here in Dubai, where the high voltage corridors were standalone areas three to four years ago, but have now been almost totally encroached upon by urban and indus-trial development.” Distributed generation is the way to go, maintains den Boogert.

the capability to sell kWh rather than renting purely what we call ‘iron’ into the market. This also brings another type of organisation with it than before. Our people pretty much become operators of large power plants rather than technicians to maintain and in-stall generators.” A major outcome of this approach is a dramatic reduction in overall costs for customers.

“It is becoming ever more critical not to overlook costs, not only our internal costs, but also the cost to the customers. Fuel is becoming more and more important in the total kWh price, and our assets have been purchased with that in mind. For us, fuel is probably the number one parameter decid-ing which type of equipment is bought and how it is confi gured,” argues den Boogert.

“If I look at some fl eets from three to four years ago when I fi rst came to the region, and I see the huge fl eets that are common now, there is a huge leap forward in terms of technology. What customers demand is more fl exibility and better effi ciency. What counts at the end of the day is what solutions you can bring to a customer’s business,” con-cludes den Boogert.

“It comprises small, relatively small power units that comply with the highest emission, sound and grid safety requirements. Prior to joining RSS I had my own consultancy. What I have seen in the last fi ve years is a brutal increase in the demand for power.

Five years ago a 30MW to 40MW power plant was enormous; our temporary IPPs are contracted in the range of 250MW. This is becoming more and more the issue. There are countries, both in Asia and South Ameri-ca, where the use of temporary power plants are increasing, but also the scale of power demand is increasing dramatically.”

This has resulted in the rental sector adopt-ing new business models, with RSS leading the way in being proactive in terms of both customer requirements and overall market trends. “You do not talk anymore about rent-ing generators and transformers; now you are talking about generating power for utili-ties. You get into another ball game entirely.” Den Boogert, formerly of Europe, has been with RSS in Dubai since September.

“We are installing and purchasing our as-sets with this new phenomenon in the mar-ket in mind, this upscale, in order to give us


NEWS ANALYSIS

BRIGHT SAVINGSSustainable energy solutions could brighten the regional lighting market

ighting represents 22% of electricity usage in the Middle East – a much higher statistic than any-where else in the world. If GCC consumers switch the lights in their homes

to more effi cient solutions, this will save up to $400mil-

lion and 5.1 megatonnes in carbon dioxide emissions annually.

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are often touted as the most effi -cient lighting solution for today’s energy issues. “The future of lighting will soon see a wide-spread adoption of this solution,” says RWN Trading marketing director Carol Prince. However, Fagerhult GM Gary Turner ar-gues: “There is unfortunately no ‘silver bullet’ approach to providing a low-carbon lighting

solution. Even the much-hyped LED cannot do that on its own.”

LEDs are available as small, solid lightbulbs, or in cluster form with diffuser lenses, which are ideal for the home. These cluster beams can use as many as 180 bulbs per cluster, which means that the light is spread evenly. “A recent addition to the market is an LED that can be dimmed to the zero position and that emit no energy, unlike their traditional counterpart that still emit energy loss even at zero,” says Prince.

At present, the drawback to switching to LED is the initial cost, but the effi ciency and cost-effectiveness of LED lighting sys-tems will drive demand for more affordable LED lights. Further-more, even with the high capex at present, there are still tremen-dous fi nancial and energy savings

to be achieved. Prince points out that the operational life of white LED lamps is 50,000 hours. This is more than ten years’ continu-ous operation. “The long opera-tional life of an LED lamp is in stark contrast to the average life of an incandescent bulb, which is about 5,000 hours.” The long lifespan of the LED naturally has a direct impact on reducing main-tenance requirements.

“The true expense of incandes-cent bulbs is in the cost, labour and time needed to replace them. These are important factors when considering lighting options for an offi ce, as maintenance costs to replace bulbs can be enor-mous. These can be virtually eliminated with the LED option,” says Prince. The key to switching to LED lighting is reducing the overall power consumption. With

Smart lights,

LIGHTING


correct design, an LED circuit will realise about 80% effi ciency, meaning 80% of the electrical en-ergy is converted to light energy.

The remaining 20% is lost through heat. Incandescent lamps operate at about 20% ef-fi ciency, with a staggering 80% lost as heat. Furthermore, LEDs do not cause heat build-up, pro-ducing only 3.4 British Thermal Units (btu) per hour, compared to up to 88btus for incandescent. Comparing LEDs and incandes-cents fi nancially, take a 100W in-candescent in use for 12 months, with the electrical cost at 33fi ls/kWh, at a total cost of AED290. Using the same example for an LED with 80% effi ciency, the elec-tricity cost would be AED44 per 12 months – a saving of AED246 over the period.

“The true savings are actually much higher when you take into account that traditional lamps need to be replaced more fre-quently, usually within a year, and this involves labour and maintenance costs. Also, some areas will remain unlit if tradi-tional lamps lose their power, due to contractual obligations. Many buildings do not allow repairs to be carried out when public areas are open, so maintenance must be carried out within set periods and limits,” says Prince.

“RWN Trading recently con-ducted research on lighting for a carpark that had 900 incan-descent four-foot tubes on for

24 hours. Most last one year, and some last no more than six months. When the company conducted the survey, 30% of the lamps had blown and had yet to be changed. The results showed very clearly the huge savings by swapping from the standard 40W lamp to an 18W LED. You need to look at the bigger picture when analysing the true cost of energy saving with LEDs. The obvi-ous fi gures start with the lights themselves, but further savings can be made in reduced cooling expenses, which naturally adds to the reduction in overall pow-er consumption,” says Prince. “Companies have a responsibility to reduce their consumption and carbon footprint.”

Turner says the modern build-ing environment is a signifi cant user of electrical energy, and lighting can account for about 40% of a building’s total energy consumption. However, he argues that LEDs must be seen as one el-ement of an overarching process. This process comprises fi ve es-sential steps which he terms ‘A Guide To Crossing The Carbon

The architectural and engineering community can have a massive impact in ensuring that the initial lighting design is

correct, and stil provide the end user with a stimulating and visually-attractive environment.“

Mike Thompson

Bridge’. “Step 1 must begin with the design process. By following the guidelines recommended by the world’s best engineering and technical brains, the GCC can dramatically reduce the amount of energy needed to create the perfect lit environment.”

“By eliminating over-design and harnessing the abundance of natural light that is available to us in the region, the architectural and engineering community can have a massive impact in ensur-ing that the initial lighting design is correct, and still provide the

end-user with a stimulating and visually attractive environment. Designing to meet both the na-tional and local requirements, and by combining this with best light-ing practice, will provide benefi ts in reducing the carbon output by up to 10%,” says Turner.

Step 2 recognises the instinc-tive capability of people to hit a switch when light is needed … but then to forget to switch off again. “By ensuring that every building has a lighting control strategy, we can ensure that lights are switched on and off

Ruud Lighting Arabia, a provider of industry-leading LED luminaires, is showcasing its energy-saving BetaLED products, recognised for advanced engineering, innovative design and excellence in manufacturing. These outdoor LED luminaires can reduce energy use by up to 60%.

BetaLED’s total systems approach is a comprehensive engineering method that integrates best-in-class LEDs, driver technology, optics and style into each product. BetaLED’s patented NanoOptic product technology delivers up to 96% optical effi ciency. A direct-contact refractor sealed to the LED chip package provides a level of optical control that is not possible to achieve with optical systems developed for traditional light source technology. The result is uniform illumination placed precisely where it needs to go.

The NanoOptic refractor system offers superior light control with more lumens delivered in the target area, improved uniformity ratios, controlled high-angle brightness and over 20 optical distribution patterns to choose from. BetaLED luminaires are a controls-ready lighting solution designed for compatibility with protocols for wireless and power-line carrier technologies.

It offers optional integrated photocell and occupancy sensors that can further reduce energy use through ambient light and motion detection. The luminaires have the capability to be dimmed to one-third total power, while maintaining 50% lumen output. Compared to traditional HID lamps like metal halide, the system can reduce a facility’s annual energy and maintenance budget up to 80%.

BetaLED is committed to developing and manufacturing quality LED luminaires that meet industry lighting standards and guidelines set forth by organisations and agencies such as the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

BETALED FROM RUUD LIGHTING

LED cluster beams can use as many as 180 bulbs per cluster.


LIGHTING

automatically as required. This can be a very simple step that al-lows for a detector in every room that switches lights off when the ambient daylight is suffi cient, or when the room has been vacated.

As much as 12% of an installation’s carbon output can be reduced by simply installing such controls,” says Turner.

Step 3 refers to emergency lighting. All projects require the installation of emergency lighting in order to facilitate safe escape

from the space in the event of a fi re or power failure. Installa-

tions tend to either use an option of standalone bulk-head fi ttings with integral batteries, or a maintained emergency conversion option to the standard

equipment with integral batter-ies. In the latter case, this could amount to converting up to 25% of the standard luminaires.

Step 4 refers to the importance of ongoing R&D. “Major lamp companies have invested millions in ensuring a continuous drive to increase the amount of lumens that come out of a lamp, while re-ducing the amount of Watts of en-ergy that goes into the lamp. This measure of effi ciency, LM/W, is a basic way of understanding how to compare lamps. Thankfully we have available to us today, and in fact have for many years, lamps that are very long-lasting, give a fantastic amount of light and use very little energy.

“Beware the simple compari-son that some LED-biased com-panies make with regard to stan-dard lamps and tubes. Nowadays modern standard lamp technol-ogy means long life, high lumen output and low energy usage. Due to the scale of the previous investments, the lamp companies will continue to drive the technol-ogy forward. New ‘eco’ lamps are available, and by utilising these sources, we can achieve a further 10% reduction in total carbon out-put,” says Turner.

Step 5 focuses on the LED itself. “The good news is that we are now entering an era of

‘affordable’ LED lighting. As a replacement for low voltage halo-gen and lower wattage metal ha-lide lamps, payback periods are now within two years. As LED prices fall dramatically, and is-sues such as colour temperature and consistency are addressed, they will become a viable lighting solution for more areas in a build-ing,” concludes Turner.

Switch Made Middle East CEO Thierry Burot says the light-ing market in the Middle East is complicated by the different awareness levels of contractors, consultants and end users. “The construction market is still very price-sensitive. The problem is that contractors are not the end users, and thus specify the cheap-est solutions. We often fi nd that the end users are more aware of technology and other issues than the contractors themselves.”

This means that Switch Made Middle East approaches every project on an individual basis. “The potential cost and energy savings through lighting are huge. However, it is important to remember that every project often requires a different solu-tion, and the practicalities of the space involved,” says Burot. For example, while refurbishment is a major focus, the LED products here are limited at the moment as the technology advances.

Another problem with the general adoption of LED in the lighting market is the generally conservative nature of the con-struction industry. “Many com-panies do not want to be the fi rst adopters of new technology in case it does not work out.

“This is combined with a gen-eral reluctance to opt for the lat-est technology. We overcome such problems by raising aware-ness and discussing all these is-sues with the entire construction chain, from contractor to interior designer,” says Burot.

“Many of the projects under construction today were speci-fi ed up to two years ago. At the moment there is a shortage of new projects going out to tender, which has created a lull.”

The drawback to switching to LED remains the initial cost.

Thierry Burot from Switch Made.


A HOT TOPICThe inaugural meeting of the Emirates Solar Industry

Association (ESIA) concluded that, while solar energy is a hot topic in the region, a lot still needs to be done.

A CSP plant is being built at Masdar City near Abu Dhabi.

urrently there are more than 70 solar companies operating in the UAE,” said En-

viromena Power Systems CEO Sami Khoreibi. “The UAE has all the elements for develop-

ing a successful solar power industry,” said Karel De Winter from Alsa Solar Sys-tems.

However, participants agreed that certain key steps need to be taken to kick-start this industry, namely: introducing regulation and frameworks, establishing the necessary government body to organise the industry and of-fering incentives for the private sector to partake in the develop-ment of the industry.

The successful breakfast meeting attracted close to a 100 attendees. It was held at the Yas Island Rotana in Abu Dhabi in early January and moderated by Jon Nash from Vinson & Elkins. The panel also comprised Mas-dar Power director Frank Wout-ers and Petroleum Institute of Abu Dhabi associate professor Dr Lisa Lamont.

The meeting noted that, while Abu Dhabi has set the objective of generating 7% of its energy needs from renew-ables by 2020, other emirates are yet to come up with similar


Solar energy

SOLAR POWER

SOLAR POWER


Solahart from Australia, represented in the UAE by Ecoval Trading, is showcasing an automatic, easy-to-use control system that offers the capability of deriving real-time data from solar thermal systems. The uptake of solar thermal technology in the UAE has been hampered by high initial capex costs and the lack of reliable energy-gain data. “There are a lot of competing claims as to capabilities and benefi ts, but little in the way of backing up such claims,” said Denis Avery from Solahart of Australia.

“Our smart solar controller allows our customers to manage their capex so they are in a position to be able to budget for solar thermal and acquire good-quality equipment with the payback period calculated clearly,” said Avery. The data derived from the smart solar controllers can be reformatted into spreadsheets, tables or graphs, and used to calculate energy gains or even actual money saved. An added benefi t is the capability to troubleshoot from a remote location, said Solahart technical manager Rob Meesters.

The smart solar controller is an integral component of a total solar solution from Solahart based on its unique ‘drainback’

principle, which prevents solar collectors from overheating – a perennial problem in the Middle East, where collectors from Europe or China are often unable to cope with the peak summertime temperatures.

“What we offer is a unique concept called ‘drainback’. In this part of the world, collectors can overheat very easily with non-use. Our solution comprises a cylinder with a pump running a control system. The glycol heat transfer fl uid passes through the collectors, reaches its optimum temperature, and then just drains back, as opposed to overheating,” explained Avery.

“Quite simply, the pump will shut off, and all the fl uid in these collectors will start reversing back down so you do not get the problem of overheating, and the pressure equalises, so the system becomes inert. This is a unique concept, and we are the only solar thermal company offering this,” said Avery.

“In order to compensate for overheating, companies in the Middle East will undersize the total system by cutting down on the number of collectors, which ultimately negates the benefi t of opting for solar thermal energy in

the fi rst place, as instead of getting a 80% to 90% energy saving, only 40% to 50% is being realised.

“What happens though is people do not realise this until they start paying their electricity bills. So we try and give them an optimum advantage. Our system is fully automated and controllable through the smart solar controller, which is the brain behind the system,” said Meesters. The system can interface with any computer, or even an iPhone or iPad by means of an easily-acquired, customised app.

“We can go into this data logger anywhere in the world. We have systems running in Germany, for example. If you cannot do it, our engineers can log in and have a look to see what has been happening. This allows one to simultaneously monitor a number of systems all over the globe. If a sensor broke or a pump stopped, it will communicate automatically to the engineer and also to us. So rather than waiting for cold water, the problem is fl agged instantly, either by a fl ashing light or even a different ringtone on your mobile,” said Meesters.

‘SMART’ SOLAR CONTROLLERS FROM SOLAHART

objectives. The 7% target trans-lates into 1,500MW of solar en-ergy. Of this amount, 500MW is earmarked for Abu Dhabi’s vaunted roof-top programme, which aims at installing solar panels on rooftops to gener-ate clean electricity. However, with no clear direction in this regard from the government, the only development that has taken place is a 2MW pilot proj-ect. “Without the governmental strategy, it will be impossible to realise the full potential of solar energy in the UAE,” said Vahid Fotuhi from Solar BP.

In addition to plans on sourc-ing a sizeable chunk of its elec-tricity needs from renewables in the form of solar power, Abu Dhabi plans to become a region-al renewables hub. Steps taken in this regard include setting up the Masdar Initiative and host-ing the International Renewable Energy Agency.

These were seen as impor-tant, bold steps in the right

direction. Yet these steps have resulted in the development of just 12MW of solar power (Abu Dhabi’s total current capacity is 10,000MW), in addition to the 100MW Shams 1 project cur-rently under development.

Even with such projects under

way, the absence of an appro-priate framework (such as the feed-in tariff system in Europe) would hamper the development of the solar power sector in the UAE. Although projects such as Shams 1 were developed without any framework, such framework

would enable further develop-ment of the solar power sector in the emirate.

On the subject of subsidies, participants agreed that the current subsidy for conven-tional energy is one of the main factors impeding the growth of

Global installed capacityGWpSource: Solar cost data, Solarbuzz

1.3

2000 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

1.7 2.12.7

3.85.3

7.0

9.8

15.4

19.4


SOLAR POWER

SOLAR NOT VIABLE FOR DUBAI

Large-scale solar energy is unlikely to play a major role in DEWA’s attempts to boost its electricity generating capacity, said DEWA senior manager: business excellence Mohammed Al Jariri at an energy management seminar at the World Trade Centre organised by Bureau Veritas. “Renewable energy cannot drive the power growth that Dubai needs. As a technology it is promising, but it is unlikely to form a signifi cant component of our power mix.”

Asked as to the possibility of DEWA adopting a feed-in tariff to be able to accommodate distributed generation, Al Jariri said “this depends on the feasibility and practicality, for example, of large industrial premises being able to place PV panels on their roofs to generate power and then feed this into the national grid.” Al Jariri said the issue of feed-in tariffs for distributed generation was the remit of the newly formed Supreme Energy Council, which has to look at all forms of alternative energy supply, including nuclear.

“One of the issues associated with solar farms, for example, is the vast amount of space they require, and land is at a premium in Dubai,” said Al Jariri. “Energy management requires a cohesive, integrated strategy not only on the part of DEWA, but together with all its end users.” Al Jariri added that the responsibility for energy management was largely shifting from utilities to end users.

He said that many other factors impacted on energy management, including adapting the current building code to cut down the use of glass and increase thermal insulation, which reduces the cooling load and thus total electricity consumption. Speaking at the seminar, Richard Smith from Atkins commended the utility “for addressing such a timely and important topic.”

the renewable energy industry in the UAE. “When factoring in the cost of the subsidy, one would realise that PV solar pow-er is already on par with conven-tional energy,” said Browning Rockwell from Sunedison. “The subsidy distorts the true cost of energy at the end of the day.”

Rockwell agreed that con-centrated solar power (CSP), another type of solar power which uses the heat from the sun to generate electricity, is still more expensive than photo-voltaic (PV) solar power, which uses sunlight to generate elec-tricity. However, the solar pow-er industry is undergoing con-stant development, and hence it is only a matter of time before the cost of electricity generated with CSP will be equal to that of conventional power.

The advantages for develop-ing a solar power industry are compelling. The cost of solar power has been decreasing steadily owing to developments in technology and supply-de-mand factors, with solar cell production capacity projected to increase by 39% to 23.8GW in 2011. As a result, the average selling price of solar panels is expected to drop by 15%. With the price of oil increasing again in the wake of the fi nancial cri-sis, each barrel of oil saved due to solar power, which would have been burnt at subsidised prices, can be sold on the mar-ket at non-subsidised prices.

“Given the UAE’s early start in the sector, it must retain its position in developing this in-dustry,” said Soudki Atassi from ACWA Power.

The solar industry is a priceless opportunity for the UAE economy to become more technology based. “ ESIA

The 10MW solar plant at Masdar City near Abu Dhabi.


SITE VISIT

DEEPDigging

Infrastructure works are some of the most technically demanding construction projects. The $2.2billion Doha sewage mega project has challenged designers


SITE VISIT

here’s no doubt about it: Doha’s star is rising. With a booming economy fuelled

by the gas industry, the capital’s rapid expansion over recent years has been both a formidable and impressive accomplishment.

With expansion comes pres-sure and, in Doha at least, the government has embarked on an

unprecedented level of infrastructure spend-ing to help alleviate the extra stress the coun-try’s growing population is placing on basic services such as roads and sewerage.

Over the next four years, Qatar will spend more than $140billion on infrastructure projects, dedicating 43% of its budget for that period on major public works.

One of those major projects is the Doha North Sewerage Treatment and Associated Works – a $2.2billion project that includes a suite of contracts to bolster the city’s sewer-age treatment capabilities. Doha is currently served by two treatment works, Doha West and Doha South: the latter built in the 1980s and which has had a number of extensions and refurbishments.

As Kevin Richards, the Public Works Au-thority’s (Ashghal) Senior Project Engineer for the Doha North scheme, explains: “The situation has developed due to the ever-grow-ing population in the country. Everytime you fi nish one phase of expansion, it is like play-ing a catch-up game of football: the popula-tion growth is such that you always need an-other expansion, another programme.”

“The city’s current expansion is in the north which, geographically-speaking, is best served by the Doha West treatment plant. However, the plant is unable to realis-tically handle the amount of pressure large developments like Lusail and the Pearl Qatar

would place on it, once they are fully devel-oped,” he says.

The Doha North Project is designed to pick up fl ows from Lusail, the Pearl catchments and Gharaffa, West Bay area, as well as alleviate some of the pressure placed on the existing Doha

West Sewerage Treatment Works (STW) catchment.

THE PROJECTThe Doha North Sewerage Treatment and

Associated Works project consists of four con-struction packages, all started at different

times and designed to come on stream at around the same period.

At $1billion, the STW is the big-gest ticket item. Awarded to Kep-

pel Seghers Engineering Singapore, the 30-month contract covers the design, con-struction and operation of new plant which has been designed to handle 245,000m3 of sewage daily, catering for a population of around 900,000 during its fi rst phase of devel-opment. The treatment works will be expand-ed to cope with up to 345,000m3 of sewage at a later stage.

Work began on the project in March 2008 and was due to be completed in August this year, but it is unlikely to be completed before work on the upstream $490million pumping station (PS70) and pumping mains has been fi nished. The contract for PS70 and the pump-ing mains was awarded to a joint venture led by Vinci Construction Grands Projets, with Qatari Diar Vinci Construction and Entrepose Contracting. The 33-month contract is due for completion by 20 December 2011, and Vinci says it is determined to hit its deadline.

Construction of the gravity-fed intercep-tor sewers which feed PS70 is another major component of the project. Work began on the $360million project in March 2008 by contrac-tors Ultra Construction and Engineering, and includes 33km of micro-tunnels of different diameters and 107 shafts, which pick up the gravity fl ows, primarily from the southern part of the Doha north project. That contract is due for completion in March 2011.

The fourth contract of the total project cov-ers the construction of a return pumping sta-tion and twin 1,600mm diameter mains that will send treated effl uent from the STW to an existing TSE ring main for irrigation. The project is running concurrently with the con-struction of the STW and is being carried out by the Marubeni Corporation.

PS70 AND THE PUMPING MAINSThough it is a part of the wider Doha North Sewerage Treatment and Associated Works, PS70 and the triple rising pumping main is a signifi cant project in its own right. The project not only calls for the construction of several complicated structures on a 200 x 200m site that must also blend in with the residential area when completed, but also for a triple 1,600 mm pumping main to feed the

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Number of residents the Doha North Sewerage Treatment works will serve

900,000

General project manager Christian Tricoire, of Vinci

Construction Grands Projets.


SITE VISIT

The sad thing for the pipeworks engineer is that most of his work will never be seen because

it is all underground. “Christian Tricoire

Doka formwork was used to create the walls of both the screen chamber and lift pumping station shafts, and construct the operational heart of each of the structures.

new Doha North STW, 25km away. It is, by far, the most technically demanding of the four construction projects.

The pumping station consists of a screen chamber: a 40m deep, 20m diameter cham-ber which fi lters the incoming waste fl ow and before feeding it to a lifting pumping station, which draws the wastewater to the surface and on to a forwarding pumping sta-tion where it is pumped to the STW via three 1,600mm diameter pipes.

As Richards explains: “When people talk about PS70, they think of a pumping station. It is actually two pumping stations which are in one site. The lifting pumping station is a circular pumping station split in to two, with two separate wet wells and two separate dry wells. It is basically like the wheel of a car, with the outside, the tyre, being the wet well and the centre portion, the hub, being the dry well where the pumps and the pump motors are housed.”

“You have got fi ve delivery pumps and fi ve discharge pipes from each half of each lift pumping station wet well which then dis-charge at high level to the forwarding pump-ing Station which then connects in to the dis-charge mains which pumps to the treatment works at Doha North, out in the desert.

“It is a very confi ned site, so being able to fi t in a screen chamber, a lift pumping station, a forwarding pumping station, an odour con-trol building, admin building, everything, that was a task in itself,” Richards says.

logical information given at the tender stage and, lucky for us, QDVC was already working in Doha two years before on other projects, and we had the opportunity to look at their projects to see what problems we could face.” Another problem encountered was the high water table. Tricoire says that Vinci hit groundwater just 8m down in to the excava-tion – giving them more than 30m of ground water to deal with.

Vinci is dewatering the area by using sev-en drawdown pumps which discharge into a small surface lagoon where it is then taken and pumped deep into the ground, further away from the site.

As Vinci dug and blasted its way into the rock, it treated the exposed surfaces with shotcrete to secure the face of the excavation, before lining the surface with a geotextile wa-terproof membrane.

“We then started from the bottom up, to construct the walls of the chambers. For the outer wall, we used a single face formwork from Doka, 1.2m thick, with the formwork facing the excavation,” Tricoire said.

Project manager Christian Tricoire of Vinci Construction Grands Projets says: “It is a tight project. The critical part of it is the pumping station which consists of civil works, electrical and mechanical works and a lot of pipeworks. It is a small area to work in, so the sequence of work and activity on-site has to be carefully looked at; so that was one of the keys for us.”

“The tough thing for us was the excavation of the two shafts through hard rock. As soon as you touch the ground in Qatar, you are straight into limestone. You have something like 40cm of sand with stone, and after that it is hard rock, so we had to play with blasting activities and a rock breaker,” he says.

“At the very beginning of the project we had 27 excavators with rock breakers to start the excavation work, then we moved to ex-plosives, then came back to rock breakers,” Tricoire adds.

Vinci extracted 12,630m3 of earthworks for the screen chamber and 44,610m3 for the lift pumping station shaft. “Was it tougher than we thought? Not really. We knew we had geo-


SITE VISIT

To anchor the shafts, 17 ‘toes’ had to be constructed to reinforce the area to stop if from collapsing while workers poured the concrete for the toes.

But the overriding challenge on the site, and particularly work in the two shafts, has been access. Everything used in the con-struction of the screen chamber and lifting pumping station has had to be lowered over the side which, Tricoire says, presents safety issues with workers below.

“We have a weekly toolbox meeting where we have a HSE offi cer come on-site and go through what is to happen; we have a safety induction and we do have translators. We or-ganise trials on-site; we stage accident (sce-narios) on-site, and show people what to do. Even if they cannot understand, they can physically see what to do.

“We do it for any new activities, most of the major activities. We have what we call a pre-construction meeting to remind every single person who will be involved in these works who is going to manage, who is going to monitor the crane, who is going to give the instruc-

tion as to the lifting operation, and what are the dangers.”

Tricoire says that the project has not hit any major snags, though it did begin its midday summer work ban a month earlier to accom-modate Qatar’s hottest summer on record.

“Wind is a fact of life when you are work-ing in Qatar. In February, March, April,

when you are working in the desert, wind plus

Kevin Richards, senior project engineer for the

Doha North Scheme, Ashghal.

sand is not always a pleasant way to work,” he explains. The pipeline also presented logisti-cal challenges because it was built alongside a stretch of the new North Road. The triple rising main had to be cut and laid through a 13m wide, 8.5m deep corridor before the road and bridge abutments could be fi nished. At the same time, Kahramaa – Qatar’s General Electricity and Water Corporation – was lay-ing a major arterial water mains to replace an existing one.

Richards said: “In some cases, we could not lay our pipes because the new pipelines being constructed under the road were in confl ict with ours, so we could not decommission the existing water main before the North Road contractor had supplied the new pipelines, so that the old pipelines could be taken out and our lines could be run through it. It was an absolute headache.”

Tricoire says the project has been a chal-lenging one for his team – but also technically interesting. For the young engineers on site, this job has everything: complex building de-sign, micro tunnelling, big excavations – eve-

rything that you might run into in other jobs in isolation, here on one site.”

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HVAC


hompson says re-frigerants might seem a tangential

or even uninteresting topic, but it is one that has his attention for a decade and counting. “There is an interest-ing dynamic in the industry that is not

visible, as to why Trane does what it does and how the future is go-ing to be. What is certain is that the future will be different. That is okay, as we have handled such changes in the past.”

The issue of refrigerants is critical “because there is a lot of misinformation in the industry,” says Thompson. “Refrigerants are quite often used as a selling tactic, and quite negatively. My job is to educate customers be-cause there is way too much mis-information on this refrigerant issue.” Thompson adds that the facts he disseminates, in turn, are all derived from third-party, peer-reviewed documentation.

The fi rst important fact is that “Trane develops does not develop refrigerants, and does not want to sell refrigerants either. It wants to sell high effi ciency and reliabil-ity, which is important to ensure you have good-quality products.” The refrigerants used over the lifetime of these products is an ancillary issue, says Thompson.

“I think R-134a and R-123 will be available for the life of those machines. On the other hand, I do not think R-123 or R-134a will be long-term refrigerant choices in our industry, and that in ten years from now, we will all be us-ing different refrigerants than we are today in centrifugal chillers.” Thompson says that while such a change is imminent, it is equally

The future of refrigerantsMike Thompson, global leader of refrigerant strategy and environmental affairs

director at Trane, gives insight into the current state of the refrigerant phase-out.

important to note that the tradi-tional refrigerants will remain available well into the future.

There are two categories of re-frigerants, namely fl uorocarbons and natural refrigerants. Fluoro-carbons are divided further into ozone-depleting chemicals and non ozone depleting chemicals. “The ozone-depletion chemicals were addressed in the interna-tional treaty known as the Mon-treal Protocol. The Kyoto Pro-tocol is the international treaty related to global warming. A lot of people use these interchange-ably, but they are very different,” says Thompson.

The Montreal Protocol has Class 1 and Class 2 categories of ozone-depleting substances. Class 1 comprises CFCs, which were phased out in most of the world in the 1990s. Class 2 com-prises HCFCs, which are still be-ing used in developing countries. “Their ozone depletion is dramat-ically lower than CFCs, but their ozone impact is still greater than zero,” says Thompson.

CFCs were offi cially banned in developed countries in 1996. This meant halting the production of equipment using CFCs, and cur-tailing CFC use in its entirety. “CFCs are no longer produced anywhere in the world, but you can still buy them from recovered and/or recycled stockpiles. At the time it was cited as a major disas-ter, that you would never be able to buy these refrigerants ever again, and that the prices would skyrocket and availability for older equipment be affected. The technology using CFCs would ef-fectively be dead; 14 years later, you can still buy these refriger-ants, and at prices that are cheap-er today,” says Thompson.

“If you look at all the phase-outs to date, there has never been an instance where a refrigerant has been unavailable. These are reasonable transitions, and we are going to see more in the fu-ture.” Thompson says that 2010 was a big date in the US, as this was the year when new equip-ment using R22 could no longer be manufactured. “The phase-out of CFCs in 1996, by contrast, was a pretty blunt affair. The HCFC phase-out was different: new equipment manufacture was halted in 2010, but refrigerant for service will still be produced for another decade, until 2020. This is known as a service tail,” ex-plains Thompson.

“After 2020, it will be just like when CFCs were phased out in 1996. I can still use the equipment and refrigerants; it is just that the refrigerant has to have been manufactured before 1 Janu-ary 2020. This makes for a much easier transition.”

Cost of energy

First cost

Cost of initial charge of refrigerant

Refrigerant added over 30 years

What is important over the life of a chiller?

94.5%

5.18%

0.25%

0.04%

OPTIONS FOR HVAC REFRIGERANTS


HVAC

Thompson points out that R123 has a phase-out date in the US of 2020 for new equipment, but this CFC will still be available until 2030. “In the Middle East, I can use R-123 in new equipment until 2030. The refrigerant will continue to be produced for ser-vice until 2040. So you have ten years more than we do in the US, and so you are on an even easier schedule. How long after 2040 will R-123 be available? Again we think that availability will not be an issue. Certainly there is no cause for panic. Many of you are told to panic due to competitive issues.”

Trane is arguably the biggest centrifugal chiller manufacturer in the world, and dominates North America, the most compet-itive global market, with its R-123 products. York, McQuay and Car-rier, on the other hand, all use

R-134a in their products. “Is Trane that smart, or are we that stupid?” questions Thompson. “Do people buy our chillers because they pre-fer R-123? They buy our chillers because they care about reliabili-ty and effi ciency. They care about what matters, namely the techno-logical advances of the products themselves. I do not want to sell you a refrigerant, I want to sell you a technology.”

Thompson alleges that the re-frigerant debate has been used as a smokescreen. “What happens if your technology is not as effi -cient, or your leak integrity is not as good? You scare people about the future availability of refriger-ants, about safety and toxicity; that is your selling strategy.” The real issue is not what refriger-ant the equipment uses, but the technological advancements it brings to the table.”

An important issue for the industry is what is likely to replace the Kyoto Protocol. “Kyoto is important because it laid the groundwork. It created those six categories of gases

In the Middle East, R-123 can be used in new equipment until 2030. The refrigerant will continue to be produced

for service until 2040.“Mike Thompson

to be eliminated or reduced due to their GWP. Carbon dioxide is the obvious one. HFCs such as R-410a and R-124a have to be re-duced as well. It is important to understand there is a big target on HFCs right now. HCFCs have a GWP, but are covered under the Montreal Protocol,” explains Thompson.

“The Middle East uses a lot of HFCs due to the large amount of air-con employed. Carbon diox-ide is not practical at all in this region because it uses twice the amount of energy. Given the size of the applications out here, this is not an option.”

Instead the industry is mov-ing towards hydro fl uoro olefi ns or HFOs, as they are commonly known. “We loved the CFCs be-cause they were so remarkably stable, and today we hate the CFCs because they just stay in the air forever to trap GWP gas-es. HFOs use the same elements on the periodic chart as HFCs, but bind them together differ-ently. They have a weaker chemi-cal bond and a much shorter

atmospheric life.” Thompson says that HFOs were developed origi-nally to replace R-124a use in the automotive air-con industry. The fi rst HFO to grab the attention of the HVAC industry is HFO123yf. This is a refrigerant similar to R-134a, but it has an atmospheric life measured in hours and days, with a GWP of 5 or 6. Will this be the R-134a replacement for cen-trifugal chillers?

Thompson says HFO123yf does have a potential problem in that it is slightly fl ammable, not highly fl ammable like propane or butane. “There is a lot of dis-cussion about fl ame propagation. There might be some things we may have to do for chiller applica-tions, so there is a lot of develop-ment going on.

“HFOs make great low-pres-sure refrigerants, but do not make great high-pressure refrig-erants. A number of solutions are being proposed. This is going to be a big issue over the years, especially in the Middle East, where performance is an issue with high ambient temperatures.

TIMELINE OF REFRIGERANT USE

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REGIONAL FOCUS

Company, the Ministry of Electricity and Water, Joint Operations, Equate Petrochemicals, Petrochemical Industries and various Ministries in Kuwait. It has customers in the government, public and private sec-tors, in addition to developing new business opportunities with techni-cal experts and strengthening alli-ances with new manufacturers and suppliers.

Esco Kuwait offers a complete line of high-quality products for an array of engineering applications. It focuses on an integrated approach that encompasses planning and development through to sales and maintenance. It can enhance on-site engineering and service capabilities, while simultaneously reducing costs through improved effi ciencies. Esco Kuwait is a total solutions provider that also supplies energy-saving products and services. It has custo

KHARAFI NATIONALSince it was established in 1976, Kharafi National has developed from a local contracting company into a world-class pan-Arabian in-frastructure project developer, con-tractor and FM service provider ca-pable of undertaking a wide range of challenging projects. Today Kharafi National is an international, multi-

DSKDSK is a prominent player in MEP contracting in Kuwait, and has been awarded two contracts worth over AED90 million within the edu-cation sector in Kuwait City. These are the fi rst wins for DSK since Drake & Scull International (DSI) PJSC acquired 75% of DSK in late December 2009.

EMEMEMEM is a division of the Engineer-ing Group, Bader Al Mulla & Bros. Co. WLL, Kuwait. It is located in the Shuwaikh industrial area, and of-fers a complete range of electro-me-chanical services for the rewinding and repair of large AC/DC motors, generators, transformers and com-pressors with Class ‘F’ insulation. The company is certifi ed to ISO 9001:2000, and is a member of the Electrical Apparatus Service Asso-ciation of the US.

ESCO KUWAITEsco Kuwait Est. is an ISO 9001:2000 certifi ed company es-tablished in 1996 as a supplier and service provider of industrial engi-neering items and building automa-tion systems. It is on the approved vendor list for the Kuwait National Petroleum Company, Kuwait Oil

We take a closer look at a few of the top MEP contractors operating in Kuwait

TOP CONTRACTORS disciplined company with diversifi ed operations in: infrastructure project development, EPCM, construction, FM and fabrication services.

GULF ENGINEERING & CONSULTANTSGulf Engineering & Consultants is a leading architectural and engineer-ing consultants in the Gulf. Estab-lished in 1982, it has offi ces in Dubai and Sharjah and Oman, as well as

undertaking projects in Kuwait. Its references include multi-storey commercial and residential build-ings, luxury villas, showrooms, fac-tories, coldrooms and warehouses, ranging from the private to public sector. It has a team of qualifi ed, ex-perienced architects, engineers and draughtsmen using state-of-the-art computer software such as Auto Ar-chitect, 3Ds, SAP 90 and 2000 and ETABS. The company also main-tains an in-house database of propri-etary project information.

Kuwait has announced a US$104 billion four-year economic stimulus plan. The plan includes spending on major infrastructure development throughout Kuwait, including the building of roads, airports, hospitals and schools – estimated to be worth over US$20 billion in contract revenue – in addition to the residential and commercial projects that will be needed to meet the demands of the country’s rapid population growth.

FOUR YEAR PLAN

Kuwait’s growing

population is making demands on the

country to expand its infrastructure,

healthcare, and real estate sectors,

so we see a lot of potential there. “– DSI CEO Khaldoun Tabari

PROJECT UPDATE


WANT TO UPDATE YOUR PROJECT'S PROGRESS, OR HAVE IT INCLUDED HERE? Email: [email protected]

UNDER CONSTRUCTIONMEP reviews a collection of its most recent site andplant visits to keep you up-to-date with project progress

With a total built-up area of 11,000 m2, Ducab HV Cable Systems will be able to manufacture enough high-voltage cables to meet the demands of the entire UAE. The $136 million project features what is believed to be the highest industrial tower in the GCC, a 44-storey VCV tower. There is an adjacent factory and a smaller 40m CCV tower.

DUCAB HV CABLE SYSTEMSLocationJebel Ali

VisitedDecember 2010

Named after the 'most perfect pearl' in the Gulf, Durrat Al Bahrain is a $6 billion joint development owned by Bahrain's government and the Kuwait Finance House. At present, three of the petals and four of the atolls contained finished villas. The rest remain areas of bare reclaimed laind. There are about 150 to 160 villas on each atoll. Construction was undertaken by five contractors from 2006 to 2007. Phase two is close to completion.

DURRAT AL BAHRAINLocationBahrain

VisitedJanuary 2011

The Sukoon Tower is located in Juffrair, a suburban hub of the capital Manama. The 45-storey twin residential tower will be the highest point in the area when completed, standing at 38 storeys at the time of visit. It will comprise 598 apartments. Syrconsult Consulting Engineers provided initial architectural advice to developer Tashyeed Properties, and construction began on October 2008.

SUKOON TOWERLocationManama, Bahrain

VisitedJanuary 2011

44storey tower is

highest industrial

structurein GCC

LEGAL

52 MEP Middle East |February 2011 www.constructionweekonline.com

Dennis Brand from Traprain Consultants looks at the

role of FIDIC law, particularly in securing government

contracts in Abu Dhabi.

iven the growing interest of con-struction and engineering com-panies, as well as professional consultancies in Abu Dhabi and the various high-profi le projects taking place there, particularly government projects planned for the overall development of

the Emirate, I thought that it would be useful for those interested in securing contracts with the various departments of the Abu Dhabi government to draw attention to what has, for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, become known as ‘FIDIC law’, the offi cial title being Law No. (21) of 2006 on Construction Contracts and Agree-ments in the Field of Civil Contracting.

FIDIC law requires that all contracts in the fi eld of civil contracting to be entered into by government departments be concluded in the appropriate form approved by the Executive Council. Government bodies having an inde-pendent legal personality – i.e. government corporations – are exempt from this law. How-ever, there are numerous projects planned to be undertaken by government departments to which FIDIC law will apply.

The Executive Council, in its Decision 1 of 2007 supplemented FIDIC Law by not only confi rming that specifi c forms of contract had to be used, but it also attached copies of the contracts, namely Standard Form No.1 (Con-struction Contract) and Standard Form No.2 (Design & Build Contract).

At the time there were media reports to the effect that the Abu Dhabi government had adopted FIDIC 1999 for all its projects; news that was well received by many who were pleased, if not relieved, that FIDIC 1999 was to be used, a form of contract that was known and considered to be fair to both the employer as well as the contractor. In point of fact it would be wrong for any potential tenderer to expect to see a copy of either the Conditions of Contract for Construction 1999 (‘Red Book’) or Plant and Design-Build Contract 1999 (‘Yellow Book’) in a call for tender package issued by or on behalf

of the government of Abu Dhabi; what they will receive is a modifi ed form, which is considera-bly more than FIDIC 1999 with the odd tweak, necessary for use in the public sector. While there is no real alternative to a full and detailed review of Standard Form No.1 (Construction Contract) or Standard Form No.2 (Design & Build Contract) in the following paragraphs I will, by way of example, describe some of the changes that have been effected.

FIDIC 1999 provides for the General Condi-tions to be modifi ed by the inclusion of Special Conditions, as well as incorporating guidance notes on how to prepare Special Conditions. The Standard Form Contracts contain no such provision, which adds weight to the argument that the Standard Form Contracts cannot be modifi ed other than as provided in the Appen-dix to Tender. Indeed, it is generally accepted that, if any changes are sought to be made to the General Conditions, changes which fall outside those project specifi c provisions of the Appendix to Tender, then such changes have to be made the subject of an application to the Executive Council.

Both Standard Form Contracts have retained the form of Appendix to Tender as included in FIDIC 1999. However, some of the provisions in the Appendix to Tender have periods or percentages already determined – i.e. not left blank for the parties to determine themselves. Examples of these are:a) Clause 1.1.3.7 – Defects Notifi cation. In-stead of the parties determining the period, it is stated as one year (for construction) and three years for M&E work. b) Clause 1.4 – Ruling Language. The Ruling Language is stated as Arabic, which for some charged with administering or interpreting the contract will be a problem unless they are able to read and understand Arabic fl uently.c) Clause 8.7 – Delay Damages. The maximum percentage is stated as 20%, which is twice the generally accepted maximum.d) Clause 14.3 – Retention. The amount of re-tention to be deducted per invoice is fi xed at

5%, which is not unreasonable, but there is no limit on the total retention that can be ap-plied.

There is an argument that, as the Standard Forms have periods and percentages already defi ned, the parties are not able to agree any-thing different, even though this may be de-sired. The purpose of the Appendix to Tender is to allow the parties to make the Conditions of Contract project-specifi c, which for the above examples is no longer the case.

The Standard Form Contracts contain other departures from FIDIC 1999, some of which are quite radical – for example, Standard Form Contract No.2 that the contractor shall be responsible for any design prepared by the employer, even if it contains errors. In addi-tion in relation to termination, the employer can terminate upon giving 14 days’ notice, whereas the contractor cannot terminate for a period well in excess of 100 days.

These examples and others might be de-scribed as more obvious departures from FIDIC 1999, but there are other more subtle changes, such as the erosion of the traditional role of the engineer, with the employer having a greater involvement in the contract.

In summary, what might be described as the fair and balanced provisions of FIDIC 1999 have been changed in the Standard Form Contracts to where greater responsibil-ity has been placed on the contractor.

It has been suggested that the reasons for this is to align FIDIC 1999, which is based on common law principles, with the civil law and Shari’aa law principles of UAE law.

While that may be true, it is also true that the Civil Code as part of the governing law of the contract contains provisions – for exam-ple, Article 880 (Decennial Liability) which as a matter of strict liability overrides any limita-tion that FIDIC 1999 may have included in its original form.

I leave the reader to make up his/her own mind. [email protected]

FIDIC LAWThe role of

PRODUCTS


WEG has launched its new NEMA W22 range of high and premium effi ciency three-phase electric motors.

NEW ELECTRIC MOTORSWEG’s new NEMA W22 range of high and premium effi ciency three-phase electric mo-tors offer the highest levels of energy-effi cient performance, reducing losses by between 10% and 40% when compared with competitive mo-tor types.

Designed in 2, 4, 6 and 8-pole confi gurations, the NEMA W22 motors exceed the require-ments of the new IE2 (EFF1) high effi ciency and IE3 (premium) effi ciency classes. Key to their improved energy performance is a new aerodynamic frame that increases airfl ow and reduces operational temperatures, and also a repositioned motor terminal box that optimises airfl ow over the motor.

The W22 NEMA range of 60 Hz motors is initially available in frame sizes from 364T to 587T, with progressive introductions of smaller frame sizes, providing a package that delivers signifi cantly lower energy consumption, lower noise and vibration, higher reliability, easier maintenance and lower cost of ownership.

The redesigned cooling system at the heart of the W22 not only improves energy perfor-mance across the life of the W22 motors, but the increased airfl ow it generates across the motor also means fewer hotspots and therefore higher reliability.

In addition, lower temperatures further enhance the benefi ts of WEG’s unique WISE in-sulation system (international patents pending), which offers high resistance to temperature deg-radation. The WISE insulation system increases the dielectrical resistance of the W22 windings, allowing VFD operation up to 575 V, without any requirements to modify the W22 motor.

The lifetime of the W22 motors is also improved through the use of a robust cast iron

Mapei, a leading global manufacturer of adhesives, sealants and chemical products for buildings, is showcasing a range of its products, some of which were used in the construction of the iconic Ferrari World on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island.

Mapei supplied waterproofi ng materials that covered 25,000m2 using Mapelastic Smart, which is a two-component, high-fl exibility cementitious coating for waterproofi ng concrete surfaces in permanent contact with water. Mapei additionally utilised Mapenet 150, which is an alkali-resistant fi bre glass mesh used to reinforce waterproof protection layers, anti-fracture membranes and cementitious smoothing and levelling layers.

However, to provide full integrity, corners and penetrations received Mapeband, a rubber tape with alkali-resistant fabric specifi cally designed for cementitious waterproofi ng systems and liquid membranes. The waterproofi ng system was fi nally overcoated with Elastocolor Waterproof, a fl exible, water-based acrylic resin-based paint to provide the aesthetic appearance required.

(FC-200) frame, which is the same class as fl ameproof, and offers high resistance to cor-rosion. The frame is designed to improve heat exchange and provide high levels of mechanical strength to cater for the most critical applica-tions.

In addition, protecting the motor is WEG’s new WSeal, which offers improved protection through a V-ring with double lip and metallic cap. The motor casing, for example, is con-structed from cast iron FC-200. The product also features solid integral feet which offer

high mechanical stiffness and easy alignment, while a reinforced fan cover provides higher impact resistance. Maintenance of the product is simplifi ed through features such as longer lubrication intervals and a fast-on fan assembly.

Another innovation introduced by the W22 is the terminal box. Positioned at the front of the frame to improve airfl ow, the box has also been redesigned to allow easier cable handling, bet-ter connection and fl exible mounting (top/side). It also provides more space for accessories.www.weg.com

These materials were used mainly for water-feature waterproofi ng. In addition, Mapei supplied the project with more than 16 other products, including adhesives and grouts that were used in different application types such as marble, ceramic, glass mosaic and porcelain.

Mapei is well-known for its range of adhesives and grouts used to install ceramic and natural stone, while the company has also been gaining momentum with its other products, including adhesives for fi nishes such as wooden, PVC and sports fl ooring, and also its building line, which includes some of the most technically advanced mortars on the market.

Aside from Ferrari World, Mapei has also been involved in some of the most challenging construction projects in the region, including the Armani Hotel in Burj Khalifa, Emirates Palace Hotel, the Grand Mosque, Qasr Al Sarab Resort, Atlantis Hotel on Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab and Dubai International Airport’s Terminals 1, 2 and 3.www.mapei.com

WATERPROOFING MATERIALS FOR CONSTRUCTION

THE LAST WORD


tinue to be,” commented Bushnaq. Bushnaq, who has a bachelor’s de-gree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Salford in the UK, founded EMS in 1991 in Jordan. He continues to be the propelling force behind the company’s vigorous ex-pansion across the GCC.

EMS is a leading energy-savings company in the Middle East, with of-fi ces in Jordan and Dubai. Founded in 1991, the company was created as a response to the growing market need for technologically-advanced solutions to effi ciently manage and conserve resources like electricity and water. EMS has worked with leading clients in several industries across the region to reduce their consumption and cost of energy.

RANGE OF SERVICESIts range of services includes en-ergy audits, implementation of en-

ergy savings program, installation of energy-effi cient solutions and project management. The company was the recipient of a Special Recog-nition award by the World Energy congress in the US in 1993.

EMS has also just signed an agreement with the Jordan offi ce of United Infrastructure Projects (UI Projects) as the LEED certifi cation and commissioning consultant for a US Navy satellite fi re station project in Djibouti, rendering it eligible for LEED NC 2.2 Silver.

“The creation of green buildings is now a mandatory science and has already entered the mainstream of civil engineering in our region. Our ASHRAE certifi cation, backed by the EMS expertise garnered over two decades worth of regional expe-rience, puts us in a superior position to render state-of-the-art green so-lutions,” said Bushnaq.

Energy Management Services International (EMS) CEO Khaled Bushnaq has been named ‘2010 Legend in Energy’ by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE).

ENERGYlegend

he AEE is a global organisation of more than 13,000 certi-

fi ed energy engineering professionals worldwide across over 80 countries. The announcement was made at AEE’s 33rd World

Energy Engineering Congress held in December 2010 in Washington DC, US. Bushnaq’s spearheading role in energy management has been earlier acknowledged by the AEE with the ‘Special Recognition Award’ at its 16th World Energy Congress in 1993.

The ‘Legend in Energy’ title is a special mark of distinction accord-ed to global leaders in the fi eld of en-ergy engineering and management. It acknowledges the pioneering role Bushnaq has played in establishing regional benchmarks for conduct-ing energy feasibility studies, en-ergy surveys and strategic audits, and for comprehensively evaluating the needs of energy providers and users in the Middle East.

EMS, under Bushnaq’s steward-ship, has partnered with companies and organisations for such pres-tigious projects as Qatar’s FIFA showcase football stadium and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, as well as de-velopments led by EMAAR Proper-ties, Nakheel and various residen-tial and commercial towers.

“AEE is pleased to provide Bush-naq with the 2010 Legend in Energy Award. Bushnaq has been a mem-ber of AEE for almost 20 years, and is now an AEE Life Member.

We are honoured to have him as a dedicated member of our organisa-tion for so many years, and to now provide him with this lifetime des-ignation as a Legend in Energy,” said AEE executive director Albert Thumann.

PIONEERING“It is now almost two decades since EMS commenced its pioneering journey in energy management in the Middle East region. While our team has crossed major milestones, in this period we are ever mindful of the long road that is yet be trav-elled in our quest for a sustainable future. The honour bestowed upon me by the AEE is an added impetus for EMS to progress towards new frontiers,” said Bushnaq.

“Many companies, municipali-ties and individuals are now on the sustainability bandwagon. As long as meaningful and extended com-mitments are made and kept, this is great news for our society and our planet. EMS has been committed to fi nding more environment-friendly ways of constructing and operating buildings, using water and creat-ing power for well over a decade, and doing so in a region that is still very new to these concepts. As others catch up to where we have been, our challenge is to keep mov-ing forward with more ambitious sustainability goals for ourselves as a company and in the solutions we provide for our clients. This is a goal we relish, and which helps to defi ne who EMS is and will con-

The creation of green buildings is now a mandatory science and has already entered the mainstream of civil engineer-ing in our region.“ – Khaled Bushnaq

mep qatar magazine

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