UAE's Tabreed to build India's first district cooling system in Amaravati

A UAE-based international cooling provider has entered into a 30-year concession with Andhra Pradesh government to build, own, operate and transfer India's first district cooling system in the state's new capital Amaravati.

The agreement between the National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed) and Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) is for a contracted cooling capacity of 20,000 refrigeration tonnes and this will be the company's first plant outside its Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market, a statement released by the firm said.

Tabreed's district cooling system is part of Andhra Pradesh government's vision for Amaravati to create jobs and homes along with a world-class infrastructure, a green city, and efficient resource management.

In addition and in line with the ambitious plans for this greenfield capital city of Andhra Pradesh to be among the most sustainable cities in the world, Tabreed's system will meet cooling requirements for the the State's Assembly, High Court, Secretariat and other government buildings that are currently under construction, for which cooling services will commence from early 2021.

Tabreed Chairman, Khaled Abdulla al-Qubaisi said as their first district cooling project in India, this signals a significant step for Tabreed to penetrate one of the world's biggest and fastest growing markets.

We see this as an opportunity to establish an initial presence which will be the foundation for further growth in the future, he said.

Sreedhar Cherukuri, Commissioner, Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA), said: Bringing in the best solutions and providers from across the world to build Amaravati, we are excited to select Tabreed, a global district cooling leader, as our partner for our new capital.

"Tabreed demonstrated strong commercial flexibility, operational depth, and understanding of the complexity of well-structured district cooling concession schemes through the bidding process.

Compared to other cooling systems, district cooling uses only 50 per cent of primary energy consumption for cooling urban buildings thereby reducing carbon emissions.

This cost-effective form of air conditioning has associated benefits of improvement in air quality and reduction in general noise levels when compared to other traditional air conditioning systems.

Tabreed CEO, Jasim Husain Thabet, said the company is pleased that its first project in India has increased its presence to six countries.

"Our strong core business, experienced team, structuring capabilities, and proven innovative skills made us the ideal choice to be a long-term partner of APCRDA. Our focus will be on delivering high quality and cost-effective cooling solution to provide long-term benefits for the Andhra Pradesh government, he said.