Industry
News
between the Dubai Technology and Media
Free Zone and the Dubai Electricity and
Water Authority, also announced a 50 million dirham ($13.6 million) contract with
AST Overseas to develop the system’s piping network. Construction of the plant
was scheduled to begin in mid-March
2006. The facility is expected to be operational by the beginning of 2007.
Trigen Purchases
California/Nevada Systems
Thermal North America Holdings LLC,
which owns The Trigen Companies, has
announced it has entered into an agreement to purchase the Energy Facilities
Management Group from Sempra Energy
subsidiary Sempra Generation. The transaction, subject to government approval, is
expected to close in the second quarter of
2006.
The energy facilities management
group manages 30 million sq ft of climate-controlled space and 77,000 tons of cooling
capacity for office buildings, casinos, hotels,
hospitals, condominiums and medical centers in southern California and Nevada.
This includes two district energy plants in
downtown Los Angeles and Century City
areas, and individual heating and cooling
facilities in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
“The addition of operations in Los
Angeles and Las Vegas complements
Trigen’s presence in the Northeast, Mid-
Atlantic and Midwest markets,” said Lance
Ahearn, Trigen’s chief executive officer.
Sierra Opens New Office
in Shanghai
Sierra Instruments Inc., a global manufacturer of mass flow meters and controllers, has announced the opening of an
office in Shanghai, People’s Republic of
China. Sierra Asia operates as a sales and
technical support center in the Asia-Pacific
marketplace with the capability to support
all Sierra products.
Sierra’s New Shanghai Office
IDEA Representatives Brief
Saudi Arabia Government
IDEA Legislative Director Mark Spurr
and IDEA Board Member Dany Safi met
with a high-level delegation from the government of Saudi Arabia to discuss district
cooling and its benefits to the Saudi
power and water infrastructure. During
the March 12 meeting in Riyadh, Spurr
delivered a briefing on “Who, How,
Where and Why: International Growth of
District Cooling,” which focused on the
benefits of district cooling for customers,
power and water sector infrastructure,
and the environment. Over the next 15
years, Saudi Arabia is projected to require
more than 22,000 MW of additional
power plant capacity and more than
15,000 miles of new transmission lines.
The Saudi Arabian government delegation was led by Abdulla Al Hussyen,
minister of Electricity & Water, and included Dr. Abdulla Al Shehree, vice governor,
Electricity Regulatory Authority; Ali Al
Barak, vice president, Saudi Electricity Co.;
Loa'y Al Mussalam, deputy minister,
Planning Affairs; and Dr. Ahmed Al
Khalifa, assistant to deputy minister for
Electricity Affairs. The delegation from
Saudi Tabreed included Mohammad
Abunayyan, chairman; Abdul Hamid Al
Mansour, CEO; Abdul Rahman Al Khamis,
board member; Colin Goulding, COO; and
Robert Geday, marketing manager.
Thornton Visits UAE. On March 27, Trade
Arabia Business News Information reported on IDEA
President Rob Thornton’s visit to the United Arab
Emirates. The Web site covered the intense growth
of district cooling in the Middle East and Thornton’s
announcement that there will soon be a chapter of
IDEA in the region. IDEA plans a December 2006
conference in the UAE to feature the area’s exponential
district cooling growth and kick off the chapter’s
development. Shown here at left, Thornton met with
Dany Safi, Tabreed, right, and other officials and
toured numerous systems during his visit.
