Emaar project to cost $2.72bn

EMAAR  Properties’ new mixed-use beachfront development in Dubai’s Al Mamzar district is expected to have a preliminary cost of Dh10 billion ($2.72 billion), the UAE state news agency Wam said.

The project, announced last year in cooperation with Dubai Municipality, will have 4,000 residential units, 300 hotel rooms, and 250,000 sq m of retail outlets, Wam said.

Emaar had last year revealed that the mixed-use beachfront lifestyle development was being planned around the 53-hectare Al Mamzar Lake.

The developer said it would conduct feasibility studies and submit a detailed project report outlining the development potential to Dubai Municipality. Once the masterplan gets approved, the two parties will then finalise the project management structure, it stated.

ABB wins major Dubai solar project

ABB, a leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth around $20 million from Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) to extend a substation that will integrate more solar energy into the grid, helping diversify Dubai’s energy mix to meet growing demand.

As per the turnkey project, ABB will be responsible for the design, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning of the substation’s extension.

Key products to be supplied include three bays of 400 kilovolt (kV) and 11 bays of compact 132 kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), power transformers, and IEC 61850-based open architecture automation and controls, said the company.  The project is scheduled to be completed in 2016, it added.

Cofely Besix secures UAE mall deal

Cofely Besix Facility Management said it has won a major contract to provide facility management (FM) services to Remal Mall located in Al Ain.

Owned by Al Dar Properties, Remal Mall is a six-storey building designed with a touch of traditional Arabian architecture, including two basement car-parks with a capacity of 1,200 vehicles, as well as loading docks and services areas.

The mall has 175 retail units spread over a gross floor area of 128,890 sq m, including a hypermarket, anchor stores, shops, a food court, and cinema, and hosts many local and international brands such as Carrefour, Axiom, Royal furniture, La Brioche, Il Forno, and Dubai Islamic Bank. The contract is initially for a three-year period, but is extendable to five years. The scope of work includes 24-hour facilities management of the mall operations, the initial planned preventive maintenance (PPM) set-up, and all mechanical electrical and plumbing (MEP) operations and maintenance.

Tabreed starts supply to bank tower

National Central Cooling Company (Tabreed), a leading Abu Dhabi-based district cooling utility company, has commenced the supply of chilled water to the Al Hilal Bank tower on Abu Dhabi’s Al Maryah Island.

Tabreed, which acquired the Al Maryah Island district cooling plant last year in a consortium with Mubadala infrastructure Partners (MIP) – an infrastructure-focused fund investing in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey with institutional investors from the GCC region and Asia – will deliver more than 1,600 tonnes of refrigeration (RT) to the tower.

The firms’s district cooling services will enable the Al Hilal Bank tower to reduce its expected energy consumption by approximately 2.9 million kWh per year compared to conventional cooling, it said. This will lead to the elimination of 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

$979m housing plan to be launched

Dubai is set to launch housing projects worth Dh3.6 billion ($979 million) that will cater to the needs of around 400 citizens.

The project has been approved by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Gulf Extrusions backs Dubai centre

Gulf Extrusions, a leader in extruded aluminium products, has announced that it is supplying aluminium for Dubai Autism Centre’s Dh73-million ($19.8 million) new building project in Dubai.

The company, a member of Al Ghurair Group, will provide aluminium extrusions for the project’s façade solutions and other related works being done at the facility in the Al Garhoud area of the emirate.

Construction of the centre’s new building is expected to be completed this year. The facility is expected to address the needs of more children with autism through specially designed classrooms and amenities.

Yaming Lighting launches HQ at DSO

China’s Yaming Lighting, a leader in lighting technology development, has launched its regional headquarters for the Middle East, Africa, and the CIS at Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO).

The new office in Dubai aims at developing renewable technology and at the same time providing readily-available, globally-approved, and tailor-fit solutions to complement the infrastructure in the region.

“Aligned with the vision of Dubai and Yaming globally, our aim is to minimalise carbon emission while delivering the best solutions to the state-of-the-art infrastructures here,” said Rashid Al Noori, chairman of Yaming Middle East, Africa and CIS.