At the suhoor

Dubai, UAE, 28th August, 2010: Emirates Central Cooling Corporation (Empower), the largest district cooling service provider in the region, hosted a media Suhour recently at Atlantis hotel on the Palm Island. The gathering was attended by the elite of UAE media.
 
The Suhour was hosted by Mr. Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, and senior officials from the company.
 
Bin Shafar added: “This Suhour is an opportunity to interact with the media and show our appreciation for their crucial role in raising awareness of district cooling system as an alternative to the conventional AC systems, leading to energy saving and environment conservation, as well as lower operational and maintenance costs.”
 
“We top the list of companies providing district cooling service in the region. We adopt a clear strategy to preserve environment through aggressively disseminating this technology and conducting campaigns to highlight its strategic value in the short and long run to the people and the society in general,” he said.
 
The low awareness of the importance of district cooling in other parts of the Middle East is a golden opportunity to enter these markets emphasized Bin Shafar.
 
Empower has succeeded in organizing the production and distribution of its services in keeping with the demand for district cooling services. The company adopted a world class innovative system in water recycling to re-use the chilled water several times.

Bin Shafar added: “We succeeded in widening our clients’ portfolios and adopting a strategy for attracting finest minds in the district cooling industry. We fully switched to recycled water in four of the stations of Empower in Dubai Healthcare City, Jumeirah Beach Residence, DIFC and Business Bay.

Bin Shafar said that the company will save costs in the coming fiscal year through its investments in ELIPS factory in JAFZA where it owns 51 percent stake, which will reduce the cost between 15 to 25 percent because of the production of insulated pipes in house instead of importing them

Two M Station units commissioned to increase production capacity

Dubai: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) Wednesday said it has commissioned two units of the Dh1.15 billion power generation and water desalination plant, M Station — the biggest so far.

Saeed Al Tayer, Dewa Managing Director and CEO, said, “This station is one of the biggest projects done by the Dewa where electricity production capacity of this station amounts to 2000 MW and 140 gallons of desalinated water per day with an approximate cost of Dh1.15 billion. This station constitutes a basic pillar of Dewa’s production capacity.”

Dewa has seven stations for power generation and water desalination, while M Station in Jebel Ali comprises 10 gas turbines and eight water desalination units. The rest of the M Station units will be commissioned in phases by next year.

“Two gas turbines have come into service during the first quarter of this year with production capacity of 200 megawatts (MW) each. Besides, during the second quarter of this year two water desalination units have come into service with production capacity of 17.5 million imperial gallons (MIGD) per day each unit and with a total of 35 MIGD of desalinated water per day, in addition to one assisting boiler,” Al Tayer told Gulf News.

In the coming months, another two gas turbines with a total production capacity of 400 MW, and two desalination units with a total production capacity of 35 million gallons, plus four auxiliary boilers will be commissioned which will boost water and power generation capacity.

Dewa witnessed a 9.6 per cent increase in the peak load of electricity up to 6161 MW compared to 5622 MW the same period in 2009.

“Moreover, maximum demand for water increased this year at 5.9 per cent by 287 MIGD compared with 271 MIGD of last year,” Al Tayer remarked.

“The consistent expansion in electricity and water networks transmission and distribution is a clear sign of the development and the industrial and urbanisation growth in Dubai. Dewa is currently working on completing six substations with a power capacity of 400 kV and 56 others with a power capacity of 132 kV during the first quarter of this year,” he said.

The total installed capacity of the current production is 7,830 MW for power and 330 MIGD water per day, Al Tayer added.

Dewa has 530,998 customers, of which 375,391 are residential.

Dh1.15b approximate cost of station
8 desalination units in M Station, Jebel Ali

2,000mW project will mostly use natural gas but can work on fuel oil

Fujairah: Asia Power Co, partly owned by International Power Plc of Britain and Japan’s Marubeni Corp plans later this year to open a $2.8 billion (Dh10.29 billion) power plant in the UAE that will supply the world’s third-largest port for refuelling ships.

The 2,000-megaWatt F2 plant in Fujairah on the country’s eastern coast will use natural gas from Dolphin Energy, an Abu Dhabi state-controlled venture that started transporting gas in 2007 from neighbouring Qatar to the UAE and Oman.

“The entire plant is in commissioning and should be commercial before the end of the year,” Steve Yarrington, executive managing director of Fujairah Asia, said in an August 15 phone interview from Abu Dhabi. The F2 station will be able to burn either gas or fuel oil. “The intention is to run the plant on gas an extremely high percentage of the time,” he said.

Demand for power is on the rise in Fujairah. The port is already a regional hub for refined products and bunker fuel, the main fuel for use in commercial ships. Only Singapore and Rotterdam are busier as bunkering ports.

Fujairah will soon become an export terminal for crude oil as well. Abu Dhabi, the country’s capital, holds about 7 per cent of the world’s oil reserves and is building a 1.5 million barrel-a-day pipeline to export more than half of its crude via Fujairah, starting next year.

The oil pipeline will enable tankers to bypass the Strait of Hormuz connecting the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. As much as 17 million barrels of crude a day passed through the strait in the first half of 2008, equal to 40 per cent of all seaborne-traded oil, according to the US Energy Information Administration, part of the Energy Department. The strait, located between Oman and Iran, is 34km wide at its narrowest point.

Energy use

Energy use in the Middle East overall may rise by 60 per cent over the next 20 years, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency. Kuwait began importing liquefied natural gas, or LNG, from suppliers such as Royal Dutch Shell Plc in 2009. Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil producer, has invited foreign companies including Shell and Lukoil OAO of Russia to help it explore for gas.

The F2 plant in Fujairah will be the largest in the UAE, where power demand is likely to double to 40,000 megaWatts by 2020, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash said last year.

Dolphin’s $418 million gas pipeline extension to Fujairah from the town of Taweelah in Abu Dhabi will reach full capacity by December, the venture said in an emailed response to questions. The pipeline will be able to supply 350 million cubic feet a day of gas, enough for F2 and another plant already in operation in Fujairah called F1, Dolphin said.

Dolphin has contracted to take 2 billion cubic feet of gas a day from Qatar Petroleum. It receives the gas through an undersea pipeline and sends the bulk of it to Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Co, Dubai Supply Authority and Oman Oil Co.

A'ALAT ENOC summer programme

Dubai; August 12, 2010: Graduates of ENOC’s summer internship programme titled ‘A’ALAT ENOC’, receive their certificates and cash rewards from ENOC.

Held for the first year at the ENOC Group, ‘A’ALAT ENOC’ or ‘ENOC Family’ brought together fourteen students, aged 15-18, who joined their parents for four weeks as summer interns.

The internship programme offered the youngsters opportunities to learn real-life work skills, build their confidence, and brought them closer to their families.

DUBAI — The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) recently announced that its energy conservation programmes with different categories of clients reduced consumption of electricity and water worth Dh97million in 2009.

The DEWA’s Senior Manager for Demand and Tariff Management at its Customer Services Department, Amal Koshak, talks to Khaleej Timesabout how the government utility company succeeded in reducing electricity consumption by more than 201 million kwh and water by one billion and 38 million gallons in a year. She also speaks about what DEWA is 
doing this summer to augment the energy-conservation efforts.

Q: Could you explain the DEWA’s energy conservation strategy and what it has been doing to achieve its goals?

A: The DEWA has its strategy to raise awareness on conservation and the environmental impact of electricity and water consumption. The DEWA has implemented a number of water conservation initiatives over the past five years including programmes that aim to specifically reduce consumption at homes, schools and businesses.

The DEWA launched the Best-Consumer Award to encourage and promote best consumption behaviour among customers within the residential sector, to achieve the largest percentage in their utility consumption savings. The sixth round was recently completed whereby 13 environmentally-conscious residential customers were awarded cash prizes for significantly reducing the use of water and electricity at 
their residences. The DEWA also initiated the ‘Conservation Award for A Better Tomorrow,’ which is an annual award targeting schools and universities in Dubai. DEWA also organised several activities such as lectures, workshops and competitions among students. Students, teachers and management of these educational institutions were educated on the required procedures to conserve electricity and water. All these were meant to serve one critical mission of the DEWA — to trigger and initiate the culture of conservation amongst young minds that will be responsible for all things in the future and make them realise that resources available are precious and hence they should be used and consumed rationally in order to make them available for 
the coming generations. Activities and campaigns for educational institutions are followed by significant awards for top-ranking schools that achieved electricity and water savings in their buildings as well as for students who achieved savings at their homes.

Thus, the DEWA is educating students on electricity and water conservation and its role in maintaining the natural resources and protecting the environment. In the meantime, it is encouraging them to implement these measures in their schools and homes by awarding them.

Q: So, how different is  the DEWA’s awareness campaign which started in summer?

A: The campaign demanding less consumption during peak period started one year ago and pleaded all customers to stop using unnecessary appliances and equipment during peak period, which is between 12noon and 5pm. This is called the load shifting campaign, and the main purpose or objective is to educate the general public about electricity peak load, the time of the day when there is the highest demand for electricity.

Q: What are the main messages of this campaign?

A: The DEWA’s ‘Peak Load’ campaign highlights the simple initiatives individuals can do to decrease electricity consumption. For example, switching off electrical appliances such as irons,
washers and dryers, dish washers and ovens during peak hours as well as using moderate A/C temperature (24degrees C) in the occupied areas and raising it to 28degreesC or switching it off in the unoccupied areas can make a significant difference in power savings.

Through this campaign, we want to inform consumers that energy saving, load shifting and improved power factors are beneficial first for them in terms of bill reduction and system reliability. Also, these measures protect the environment.

Q: What more is the DEWA planning to do to reducing power consumption during summer?

A: This year, we are launching a new campaign on the power factor the main purpose of which is to improve the power factor at the premises of bulk customers such as those in industrial and commercial sectors.

Power factor represents the relation between active and apparent power, between the ranges of 0.0 to 1.0 with the high value being the better. Through this campaign, we will encourage bulk customers to improve their power factor to be within the permitted range 0.9 lagging to 0.1 and to persuade them to make required maintenance for their capacitor banks for the same purpose.

Q: How is the DEWA reaching out to the target consumers in these campaigns?

A: We have both external and internal communication methods for such campaigns. We use conventional print and electronic media and marketing collaterals like flyers, brochures, posters and roll-ups. In our customer engagement programmes, we have outreach programmes and face-to-face communication. We are making visits to 22 government departments in Dubai and entering into agreements with them that support our energy conservation campaigns.

Apart from lectures and workshops, we also use the social media like SMS, facebook and YouTube to reach out to our customers. the DEWA’s portal www.dewag.gov.ae is a powerful tool that helps us send across the energy conservation messages. Internally, we use emails and our internal newsletter called Al Masdar.

sajila@khaleejtimes.com

 
For bulk consumers

- install suitable capacitor banks sized to loads to keep the power factor within the permitted range.


- carry out the required maintenance for capacitor banks and ensure they are in operation to keep the power factor within the permitted range.


- improved power factor reduces electrical losses in the internal networks, maintain equipments’ lifetime. Accordingly saving energy reduces emissions and protects the environment.

Did you know?

- the high electrical peak hours in Dubai are between 12 noon and 5 pm during summer.


- wasting energy during these hours necessitates DEWA to invest heavily to meet the growing demand; invariably more fuel is needed for producing electricity, for meeting such higher demand rates.


- turning off less-critical electrical appliances like electrical irons, washers and dryers, dish washers, water heaters and electrical ovens during electrical peak times and operating them during off-peak times leads to an efficient and reliable electrical system.


- air-conditioning represents 60 per cent of the load on electrical peak times. Reducing usage of appliances for air-conditioning reduces electricity bills


- if every customer turned the air-conditioning up from 20degreesC to 24degreesC during electrical peak time, it will lead to: 


- avoiding the installation of about 300 megawatts electrical production units. 


- saving 270 million kilowatts-hours per year worth Dh81 million, which is sufficient to provide 11,000 apartments with electricity for a whole year. 


- saving approximately 160 thousand tons of emissions.


- energy consumption 
of any appliance/equipment equals its electrical rating in kwh multiplied by the number of operating hours. The resulted energy will be in kwh. Therefore, energy saving depends on operating hours. For example, if an old window A/C with a capacity of 2 tonnes and 
about 4 kW electrical capacity is switched off for 5 hours a day, the saved energy = 5 hours x 4 kW = 20 kWh/day.

 
Power-saving tips for summer

Residential customers

- don’t use home appliances such as washing machines and dryers during peak period from 12noon to 5pm. You may use them during other timings during the day.

- stop air conditioning in unoccupied rooms or at least raise the setting to 27oC.

- do not water plants during daytime. Do so at night or early morning.

- use drip irrigation for trees, shrubs and bushes.

- reset the flow of the automatic sprinkler systems according to the season to suit the needs of plants and lawn.

- fix all leaks in the washroom and in any other area of your home.

- close the tap while brushing your teeth or shaving.

- install aerators on taps and use a bowl or pan filled with water to wash fruits and vegetables instead of washing them under a running tap.

- turn off the tap while washing dishes (avoid leaving the tap running).

commercial customers

- control fresh air according to demand through CO2 sensors.

- stop irrigation during daytime and do it during night or early morning.

industrial customers

- maximise production outside peak period and minimise it during peak period (12noon– 5pm).

- carry out annual maintenance.

- carry out daily maintenance during peak period (12noon– 5pm).

- if there are only one or two shifts, re-arrange mode of operation to avoid operation during peak period during summer.

ENOC receives first US patent

Dubai, August 8, 2010: ENOC was granted a United States Patent No. 7,691,258 for preserving the quality of jet fuel during transit. The patent is also the first-ever for ENOC. As a new process in petroleum processing, ENOC’s approach ensures that the quality of “merox treated” jet fuel is not allowed to deteriorate while it is transferred from one tank to another until it reaches the aircraft’s fuel tanks.

Transferring of “meroxed” jet fuel from refinery to terminals through tank transfers has been a cause of quality concerns in the supply chain logistics of petroleum industry. The new process which took more than four years to develop, included installing special clean up filters at the EIL Terminal at Jebel Ali which helped main the quality of jet fuel when it was moved from the refinery to Dubai airport.

Tayyeb Al Mulla, Chief Executive, International Refining and Marketing, ENOC, said, “ Our first patent represents a major advance and is a contribution of ENOC to the industry.  It also marks the group’s commitment to further developing industry standards through continuous innovation.  Our new process addresses a concern that is being faced by the global petroleum industry for several years. I thank everyone who was involved in developing the process; this achievement would not have been possible without their invaluable help, encouragement and support, especially Dr. M. S. Venkateshan, who was the man behind the whole idea. We are confident this is the first of many more patents to come.”

ENOC is also looking to utilize the benefits of this patent to generate additional revenue and profits in the long run. Tayyeb Al Mulla added: “Through these patents we can license our methods to others in the industry and gain additional revenues which will benefit ENOC over a period of time.”

DUBAI — Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) recorded an increase of 539 MW in the annual electricity peak load in Dubai, indicating a rise of 9.6 per cent in July 2010.

The annual electricity peak load in Dubai increased by 6161 MW as of July 2010 compared with 5622 MW in total for the same period in 2009.  These figures reflect DEWA’s production capacity to meet the needs in a constant and stable power supply to various economic sectors in Dubai by constant and
stable electricity.

These figures also confirm the increase in the capacity and efficiency of the electricity transmission networks designed to meet the growing demand and needs of different 
segments of consumers. 

The rate of peak demand for water in Dubai during the month of July rose to 287 million gallons per day compared to 271 million gallons per day for the same month last year and recorded an increase of 5.9 per cent.

“The continuing increase in demand for water and electricity in Dubai is a clear indication that the economic, commercial and construction cycles in Dubai returned to their previous prosperous conditions.

“The increasing rates of consumption of electricity and water are linked to the economic growth, and these rates are expected to rise during the current month of August,” said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and Chief Executive
 Officer DEWA

EMGAS at Dubai Ladies Club

Dubai, August 2, 2010: Part of its ongoing safety awareness campaign, Emirates Gas, the largest gas supplier in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, warned more than 1,000 women about the dangers of LPG cylinders. Women were the main focus of the campaign as they are considered the main end users of gas cylinders at home, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.

Held at the Dubai Ladies Club, the seminar focused on how to use cylinders in a safe way, what to do in case of an emergency, how to contact Emirates Gas and how to avoid accidents. The campaign is part of an Emirates Gas safety drive to educate the public on the importance of implementing proper procedures in the handling, storage and usage of cylinders and complements Dubai Municipality’s gas cylinder safety drive launched earlier this year. 

Hesham Ali Mustafa, General Manager of Emirates Gas said: “Safety must be everyone’s highest concern when dealing with cylinders, because a small mishap could lead to a dangerous situation. This campaign arose from a need to make the consumer knowledgeable of the dangers of improperly using an LPG cylinder, especially women. And with Ramadan coming, safety concerns become more important as studies show that households consume more cooking gas during this period.”

The seminar also focused on how to handle and store cylinders. Hesham Ali Mustafa added: “LPG is a safe and convenient fuel for domestic cooking. It can be handled safely, by following certain simple instructions and precautions, such as keeping the cylinder in an upright position on a firm and level surface, never dropping or rolling the cylinder flat, ensuring proper ventilation of the room where the cylinder is located and never exposing or placing the cylinder to direct sunlight or heat.”

Earlier this month, Emirates Gas raised awareness on the safe use of LPG gas cylinders to more than 75 labourers at the Serve U labour camp in Al Quoz, Dubai.

- Khalid Hadi recognized for Excellence in Branding and Marketing

ENOC's brand & marketing wins brand super achiever award

Dubai, July 28, 2010: Khalid Hadi, Group Brand and Marketing Manager of Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) received the prestigious ‘Brand Super Achiever Award’ from CMO Asia for Excellence in Branding and Marketing. The Award recognizes individuals with proven leadership in building brands supported by consistent innovation and strategic marketing.

Khalid Hadi received the award at the CMO Asia Awards ceremony held recently at SUNTEC Singapore International Convention and Exhibition centre for his contribution towards building and promoting the ENOC brand for the past 15 years.

The Award selection was based on the internal and external perception of the brand in the public domain, its contribution to the economy, the track record of organizational performance and financial results and values, integrity and work-life balance. 

Khalid Hadi said: “It is an honour to receive this award from an international organization that recognizes excellence brand promotion in the Middle East. I dedicate this award to my colleagues at ENOC who have helped the company achieve its fifth Superbrand laurel recently. The award is a reiteration of our organisation’s commitment to business excellence across business practices. Building a strong, powerful, and successful brand takes many years, and we have adopted a multi-pronged approach to boost the brand identity and equity of ENOC locally and internationally with a focus on upholding our key values and commitment to the society.”

Khalid Hadi joined ENOC in 1995, his current areas of responsibilities include managing brands, advertising, public relations, sales promotions, sponsorships, corporate social responsibility,  market research and intelligence and event management for the ENOC Group, which consists of more than 30 companies within the UAE and abroad.

Mr Khanna

‘New investments in the Gulf’s pipes, tubes and steel industries to exceed AED 73 billion between now and 2020’ - Satish Khanna, GM Al Fajer Information & Services, TeknoTube Arabia

Dubai, UAE, 28 July, 2010:- The Gulf has the largest concentration of energy resources in the world with oil producing countries in the region estimated to have spent approximately AED 182.5 billion (US$50 billion) to increase their current oil field production capacities or to develop new discoveries by the year-end.

The UAE has advanced and modern logistics infrastructure coupled with a strategic location between five continents. “This is a winning formula for a base metals hub such as Dubai,” says Mr. Satish Khanna, General Manager of Al Fajer Information & Services, organizers of Tekno/Tube Arabia 2011 trade exhibition, the only specialized and established event of its kind in the Middle East.

New investments in the Gulf’s pipes, tubes and steel industries will exceed AED 73 billion ($20 billion) between now and 2020 according to Tekno/Tube 2011, the international trade fair for industrial machinery, metalworking, and machine tools.

“From aluminum and steel to special and precious metals, the UAE is the place that could provide the entire GCC and Middle East region with base metal products,” said Mr.  Khanna, “Moreover, the presence of huge aluminum smelters in the region constitutes a great opportunity for the downstream aluminum industry.”

In addition, he said the machinery and mechanical equipment zone in Dubai constitute an important market for metal products forming a true economic sector. Not to mention that the latest discovery of a major oil field in Dubai shores is an added boost to the Emirate’s economy and trade.

The trade fair would be held January 8-11, 2011 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tekno/Tube Arabia, alongside Arabplast has succeeded in becoming an international trade fair for industrial machinery, metal working and machine tools. The show offers an ideal platform for companies to gain inroads in the booming Middle East market.

Reinforcing the role of the UAE as a hub is the development of Dubai Industrial City, a massive manufacturing and industrial complex which covers 560 million sq ft of prime land.

Khanna added: “The global demand for energy, infrastructure development, construction projects, water and air conditioning supply and automobiles - the key sectors that drive the tube and pipe industry - will continue to grow in the coming years.”

With its easy access to global scientific talent, world class logistics and supply chain management capabilities, Dubai is set to become a leader in the highly engineered machinery and mechanical products.