SNC-Lavalin, a leading project management company, said it has secured a major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the expansion of a district cooling scheme at Jabal Omar Development Company (JODC) in Makkah.

Building on its large portfolio of district cooling projects, an energy-efficient solution for keeping people cool in hot weather, this JODC expansion contract is valued at SR160 million ($42.6 million).

As per the EPC contract awarded by Central District Cooling Company, a subsidiary of Saudi Tabreed, SNC-Lavalin will be responsible for the design, procurement, construction and commissioning of an additional cooling capacity of 12,000 Refrigeration Tons (RT) with all associated equipment, energy transfer stations and chilled water network - achieving a total cooling capacity of 47,000 RT.

On the contract win, SNC-Lavalin President (Infrastructure) Ian L Edwards said: "With this 7th district cooling project in Saudi Arabia and our 46th overall in the Middle East, not only are we confirming our world-leading reputation in this sector, but also delivering on our vision of engineering complex projects for a sustainable lifespan."

Mohamed Youssef, senior vice president Infrastructure (Middle East), said: "Our district cooling projects provide chilled water for residential apartments, offices, universities, hotels, military facilities, stadiums, hospitals and government institutions in the Middle East and this contract reflects our strategy of bringing the full spectrum of our global expertise to the region."

The engineering work on the project is currently under way and preparatory construction activities are ongoing with plant construction scheduled to begin in July, he added.-TradeArabia News Service