The International District Cooling & Heating Conference (IDCHC) kicked off here today in the presence of HE Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada. The two-day conference is organized by Marafeq Qatar in cooperation with Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) and Euroheat & Power.

At the opening of the IDCHC, Kahramaa President Eng Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari said it was the first time that Qatar hosted this conference, and the first time it was held outside Europe. This reflects Qatar’s prestige at international level, he said.

Al Kuwari added this international event is an important conference and it constitutes a scientific platform for exchanging ideas, visions and experiences on the latest developments in the world’s cooling and heating sector, especially in view of its expertise and attendance.

The conference is a tool to expand and spread the use of district cooling and heating technology as one of the best energy efficiency systems for environmental conservation and sustainable economic growth, he said, adding that this is in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 which its foundations were laid down by HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. Al Kuwari pointed out that the expansion in the use of district cooling and heating technology will contribute to the realization of two pillars of that vision, namely economic development and environmental development.

The importance of using district cooling and heating technology in the world is not only limited to rationalizing electricity consumption and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, but also to reducing capital investments needed to strengthen and expand networks, Al Kuwari explained, adding the use of district cooling techniques also improves the power factor which necessarily results in reduced losses in electrical distribution networks and will save about 10 percent of the investment cost of any business.

Given all the known benefits and in view of the growing use of cooling and heating technology in the Gulf region in general and due to the high load of conventional air conditioning and heating systems, which account for 60 to 70 percent of total loads, as well as due to the contribution of district technology by reducing 30-40 per cent of consumption, the State of Qatar represented by Kahramaa has started several years ago implementing medium and long term strategies and plans to meet the needs of future cities of electricity, water and cooling, he said.

In his speech, Kahramaa President pointed out that the real challenge for Qatar and the countries of the region, which suffer from water scarcity, to benefit from district cooling and heating is their continued strive to find alternatives to the use of potable water in district cooling projects, such as the use of treated water and seawater.

He stressed that Kahramaa has succeeded in addressing this issue by issuing decisions that contribute to the preservation of safe drinking water. The most important of which is its decision to prevent the use of desalinated water for cooling purposes and replace it with other available water sources such as treated wastewater, which will contribute to saving more than 72 million cubic meters of water by 2022, while Kahramaa is also working on a law for district central cooling system and is coordinating with the relevant authorities in the country to contribute to realizing the Qatar vision 2030.

He pointed out that this is among the biggest challenges facing the widespread use of cooling and heating technology to invest in this sector, taking into account the establishment of a fair tariff for the end user, especially in countries that subsidize the electricity sector, expressing his confidence that the conference will address these challenges and provide possible solutions.

The conference represents an additional step in the field of development and meeting human needs and conserving resources while taking into consideration their sustainability now and in the future,” CEO of Marafeq Qatar Ahmed A. Al Ammari said. He pointed out that air conditioning, whether by cooling or heating, has become one of the basic needs of man in various uses.

He added that the cooling and heating sector has become an important sector for any development, noting that it consumes many electrical and water resources, especially in the case of cooling districts and cities.

Al Ammari noted that this system has great importance as it conforms to 2030 Qatar vision and serves major projects, the most important of which is the development of modern and future cities as well as the stadiums to host World Cup in 2022.

As a national company, Marafeq Qatar has taken the initiative and hosted this conference in cooperation with the Euroheat and Power to provide an opportunity to exchange information, technical and technological expertise in this field as well as the legislative, regulatory and legal experiences of Europe and the world, thus opening the horizon for the joint cooperation of the regulatory body of this sector in the State to manage cooling services at the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation, which has been supporting such initiatives and taking advantage of such opportunities.

The two-day event is an international conference that will discuss key issues to accelerate the development of District Energy to help ensuring that District Energy fulfils its enormous potential. The conference is also accompanied by a specialized exhibition, in which companies present the latest in cooling and control technology.

Source: Fana News