Pentair opens facility in Sharjah

PENTAIR, a global water, fluid, thermal management and equipment protection company, has opened a new pump and booster system manufacturing facility within its integrated manufacturing campus in Sharjah, to serve the commercial and residential sectors in the region.

The new pump manufacturing facility joins the company’s existing valve manufacturing facility and metal casting foundry, providing a well-established foundation from which to introduce new products and services into the local market.

Refco sets up aluminium plant

ROYAL Engineering Fabrication Company (Refco), a fully-owned subsidiary of the Al Ghurair Group supplying fabricated components to the automotive, non-automotive and architectural sectors, has opened its new aluminium downstream plant at Jebel Ali Industrial Area in Dubai. The UAE’s largest aluminium producers including Dubai Aluminium (Dubal), Emirates Aluminium (Emal) and Gulf Extrusions will be the chief suppliers for the state-of-the-art facility.

Airport hotel extension completed

THE award-winning Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai has just completed the current phase of its expansion programme, adding 150 new superior rooms to the existing inventory of 115. The business-focused premier four-star hotel will add a further 75 club rooms and suites before the end of the year, making a total of 341 bedrooms. Located on the first four floors of the extension, the 40-sq-m superior rooms are equipped with corporate travellers in mind and feature an executive working desk, 40-inch flat screen television, wi-fi internet access, coffee and tea-making facilities and a spacious bathroom with separate bath and walk-in shower.

Transport proposals for Abu Dhabi suq

THE Municipality of Abu Dhabi has unveiled the transport connectivity proposals for its mixed-use retail, leisure and traditional suq destination, which is currently being tendered and will be developed in partnership with the private sector through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

The proposed 150,000-sq-m mixed-use leisure and retail destination will be developed on the waterfront opposite the Maqtaa Tower, between Sheikh Zayed and Al Maqtaa bridges, at the historical gateway to the city.

One of the requirements for any planned development in Abu Dhabi emirate is a Transportation Impact Study (TIS), which contributes to the planning of infrastructure. Taking a proactive approach to support developers bidding for this major project, the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City took the decision to commission a TIS, conforming to Abu Dhabi Department of Transport guidelines, as part of an initiative to support the development masterplan.

$4m facelift for Al Bustan

Al BUSTAN Centre and Residence in the heart of Dubai is undergoing an extensive Dh15-million ($4 million) renovation of its 640 guest rooms to upgrade its facilities and be on par with new and upcoming properties in the market.

Aimed at enhancing the holiday experience of hotel guests, the renovation will bring in state-of-the-art facilities to add comfort and convenience. A total of 296 studios and 136 one-bedroom apartments will undergo a complete make-over, while its 208 two-bedroom apartments have been completely refurbished.

Andalusia villa collection launched

NATIONAL Properties, a leading Shari’a-compliant saving and investment company, has launched the Andalusia Collection, which is part of The Villa project in Dubai.

Consisting of 69 premium villas, the project will be launched in the market in phases over the next few months. “We are delighted to have delivered on our vision to create an ensemble of villas that are unique in design, unparalleled in grandeur and unmatched in quality and value,” said Mohamed Qasim Al Ali, general manager of National Properties, a subsidiary of National Bonds Corporation that is licensed and regulated by the UAE Central Bank.

The Andalusia Collection aims to capture the Andalusia region’s architectural elements in stunning detail and present them on plot sizes that reach up to 30,000 sq ft with interior spaces that boast high quality features and fittings from some of the world’s leading brands such as Villeroy and Boch, Grohe, and Bosch.

Metito solutions for Ruwais project

METITO, a leader and provider of total intelligent water management solutions in the emerging markets, will provide sewage treatment solutions for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s (Adnoc) Ruwais Housing Complex in Abu Dhabi, a project that is worth more than $54 million.

Metito will provide a new sewage treatment plant catering for the current needs of the development, as well as the long-term future expansion plans of Adnoc’s site at Al Ruwais housing complex. The project follows Metito’s successful completion and transfer of two earlier phases of sewage treatment plants for the same housing complex.

The new plant will treat up to 25,000 cu m per day of raw sewage, with a designed expandable capacity of 30,000 cu m per day to adapt to the future expansion of the housing complex. The selected treatment system is eco-friendly and capable of producing high standard effluent quality that will be re-used for irrigation and landscaping within the housing complex.

In addition to the sewage treatment plant, the project includes a septage receiving station, sewage pumping stations, pressurised sewage and irrigation lines.

Nuclear energy units make headway

EMIRATES Nuclear Energy Corporation (Enec) recently completed the fabrication and installation of the containment liner plate (CLP) of UAE’s Barakah nuclear reactor containment building for Barakah Unit One nuclear energy plant in the Western region of Abu Dhabi.

Barakah Unit Two is also well under way and will take five years to construct, with the plant scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2018, pending regulatory approval.

Enec will apply for an operating licence for Units One and Two in 2015. With four plants operational by 2020, nuclear energy will deliver up to a quarter of the UAE’s electricity needs, while saving up to 12 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

A top official of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently visited the Barakah site, where the emirate’s first nuclear energy plants are being constructed.

Dana Tower handover to begin soon

DUBAI-BASED Tiger Properties has announced the completion of its Dh140-million ($38.1 million) Dana Tower, a residential project, built on a total area of 250,000 sq ft at Jumeirah Village Circle in Dubai. Dana Tower features a three-storey basement, ground and 20 storeys offering 160 residential units comprising studio and one and two-bedrooms, in addition to 10 commercial shops. The project also includes facilities such as a swimming pool, and health and sport club, said a spokesman from Tiger properties.

DCL honours Jotun Paints

Kodikal receives the award from Bastaki.

JOTUN Paints, one of the world’s leading producers and distributors of paints and powder coatings, has received a certificate of appreciation from Dubai Central Laboratory (DCL) of Dubai Municipality.

“We are deeply honoured and humbled with the certificate that we have received from Dubai Central Laboratory. This certificate of appreciation serves as a fitting inspiration for us to continue working closely with them in their efforts to render world-class laboratory based services and implement initiatives focused on strengthening consumer protection and achieving customer satisfaction in the emirate,” said Vishaal Kodikal, marketing manager, Jotun Paints.

The certificate was presented in Dubai by DCL director Hawa Abdullah Bastaki to Kodikal, during the Customer Gathering 2013, an annual event attended by DCL’s key stakeholders, partners and customers.