UAE-based National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed) said it has acquired a district cooling plant from International Capital Trading (ICT) resulting in the addition of more than 11,500 refrigeration tons (RT) of cooling to its existing connected capacity.

With this acquisition, Tabreed’s portfolio has risen to 71 district cooling plants throughout the GCC, said the company in a statement.

The new plant will be owned by Prime District Cooling (Prime), a special-purpose vehicle set up by Tabreed and ICT as JV partners to acquire the plant.

Under the new arrangement, Tabreed will own a 75 per cent share in Prime while ICT will hold the remaining 25 per cent share of the JV.

The district cooling plant provides cooling to ICT’s Nation Towers development, located on the Abu Dhabi Corniche which is considered one of the most prominent landmarks on the UAE capital city's skyline.

The development includes Nation Galleria Mall, Nation Towers Offices, Nation Towers Residences, Nation Riviera Beach Club and the St Regis Abu Dhabi Hotel, said the top Emirati district cooling company in its statement.

Tabreed’s CEO Jasim Husain Thabet said: "This acquisition expands our presence in Abu Dhabi by supplying cooling to one of the most exciting retail properties on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, increasing our current number of plants across the GCC to 71 plants."

"It underscores our commitment to support and fulfil current and future infrastructure needs of large-scale developments. Our partnership with ICT, a leader in Abu Dhabi’s business environment, enables the landmark development to benefit from Tabreed’s 18 years of experience in operating and maintaining district cooling plants, which in turn contributes to the sustainable and economic development of the UAE. We look forward to working with ICT on this venture and growing our portfolio of customers that we support across the region," he added.

The acquisition has been mainly funded by a Dh80-million ($21.8 million), 15-year non-recourse project finance loan from First Gulf Bank, Abu Dhabi.

Hamad Abdullah Al Shamsi, the ICT’s chief executive, said Tabreed has a long-standing track record of providing quality services to its clients and partners in the UAE and across the GCC.

It provides district cooling services to many of the region’s landmark projects including all the developments on Abu Dhabi’s Al Maryah Island, home to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Global Market, and all the developments on Yas Island such as Ferrari World, Yas Marina Circuit and Yas Mall, in addition to other national and regional landmarks including Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Dubai Metro, Dubai Parks and Resorts, The Pearl island in Qatar, and an Aramco development project in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

"Our partnership enhances our ability to provide Tabreed’s high quality and efficient district cooling services to the guests, residents and businesses of Nation Towers," he added.-TradeArabia News Service