Drake & Scull International (DSI), a leader in the integrated design, engineering and construction sector, said it has won a Dh172 million ($47 million) contract to build a district cooling plant for a housing complex in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The contract was awarded to Drake & Scull Engineering (DSE), a subsidiary of the Dubai-headquartered contractor.

Under the terms of the agreement, DSE will design and build a district cooling plant with five chillers of 2,500 TR capacity. The work for the plant has already commenced and will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Once complete, the plant will have a net production capacity of 12,500 TR. In addition, DSE will also carry out all related civil, mechanical and electrical work.

The housing complex in Abu Dhabi has 1,357 residential units ranging from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom, double-storey executive villas.

Ahmad Al Naser, the DSE managing director, said: "We are excited to note a resurgence in the UAE’s construction sector this year and anticipate a sustained momentum as we head towards the last quarter."

"This growth and optimism has resulted in the announcement of a total of Dh800 million ($218 million) worth of new projects year to date in the UAE and we look forward to play a vital role in future projects across multiple sectors," he added.

DSE boasts of a healthy backlog and has several prominent projects in the UAE, including the Mall of the Emirates Expansion, Habtoor City, Louvre Museum, Maliha Hospital, Danat Al Emarat Hospital, and the Plaza View Development.

According to him, DSI pioneered the concept of district cooling in the UAE by building a plant for the Jumeirah Beach Residences in Dubai.

"We are delighted to note that the technology is being increasingly adopted in most of the region’s mega-projects, including the information technology communications complex in Saudi Arabia and Doha Land and most recently the Lusail city in Qatar," said Al Nasser.

"These plants have proven their effectiveness and capabilities in providing efficient cooling with lower energy consumption for cost effectiveness. Winning this contract is a prestigious achievement that reflects our advanced capability in delivering large-scale projects," he added.-TradeArabia News Service