Tabreed, the UAE’s leading district cooling provider, yesterday officially signed an agreement with developer, Egyptians for Healthcare Services (EHCS), to provide essential district energy services to CapitalMed, its all-new healthcare city megaproject.
Strategically located in Badr City, CapitalMed is near to Central Cairo, New Cairo and Egypt’s New Administrative Capital City, which is planned to be constructed over four phases. Once completed, CapitalMed will be a state-of-the-art, smart medical city, hosting patients not only from Egypt but also from across the Middle East, Africa and the rest of the world.
It will include 700 ICUs, 70 Operating Rooms and more than 15,000 multi-disciplinary health care providers offering nearly 100 specialities. The scale of the CapitalMed project is impressive but wholly necessary, with a population of five million-plus within a 20-minute radius, and 20 million-plus within a 90-minute radius. The new city will also benefit from direct, unrestricted access to- and from major national highway networks, as well as convenient access from Cairo International Airport, just 20 minutes away.
Tabreed is to fund, construct and operate a bespoke district energy plant, designed in conjunction with Shaker Consultancy, to meet the cooling and heating demands for this prestigious project, with 19,500 Refrigeration Tons (RT) of cooling required for Phase 1 and a concession of between 28- and 30,000 RT for the entire development. Phase 1A will see 7,500 RT installed, 12 MW of space heating to be provided by hot water boilers, and associated energy services supplied to all buildings providing a full, end-to-end long-term solution.
The signing ceremony, held in Cairo’s Badr University, was attended by senior members of Tabreed’s Executive Management Team and Tabreed’s new Egypt office, including recently appointed Country Manager, Heba Kamal, with Dr. Hassan El Kalla, EHCS’s Chairman and Managing Director, and other senior figures from the company and CapitalMed.
Following the ceremony, Eng. Khalid Abdulla Al Marzooqi, Tabreed’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Tabreed only entered the Egypt market in February this year, following the announcement of our project at Cairo’s new D5M mall. I said then that commencing operations in Egypt was an important strategic move that’s part of our long-term plans for sustainable growth beyond our traditional geographic borders, and this new signing with EHCS shows how committed Tabreed is when it comes to expansion.
“We are always seeking new opportunities with other forward-thinking organisations aligned with our key values, and this new development is no exception. EHCS and Tabreed will work extremely well together, sharing common goals of maximum efficiency and a relentless pursuit of operational excellence. Our operations prevent the release of millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions and we are a force for good in communities all over the Middle East and beyond. I know I speak on behalf of everyone at Tabreed when I say that we look forward to a very long and fruitful presence in Egypt, as we bring our unrivaled expertise to such an exciting, dynamic and promising market.”
Also commenting after the signing, EHCS’s Chairman and Managing Director, Dr. Hassan El Kalla, said that Tabreed was the ideal district energy company for a project such as CapitalMed. “From the very beginning,” he remarked, “we have ensured that every aspect of this incredible project is future-proof, with efficiency and sustainability at its core. Tabreed’s experience and expertise in district energy is renowned the world over, and we are thrilled to have a company of its stature providing us with reliable and technologically advanced services.”
“CapitalMed is truly state-of-the-art – a smart, green development like no other – and will include a University Hospital Centre, a Doctors’ Plaza, Simulation Centre and Virtual Hospital. It will be home to Institutes of Precision Medicine, Transplant, Rehab, Cosmetics and Wellness, Trauma and Emergency, as well as Research and Development of Advanced Health & Medicine. This will be a world-class centre for medical education, too, offering highly specialised services guided by the most advanced technology, all of which will require district cooling and heating services that meet the most stringent standards. I am pleased to say we have found that in Tabreed and we eagerly anticipate a most rewarding collaboration between our organisations.”