National Central Cooling Company PJSC (Tabreed) has become the first district cooling company in the world to be eligible to trade carbon credits (in the voluntary market) as an emissions preventer after achieving the ‘Verified Carbon Standard’ at one of its Abu Dhabi plants.
Washington-based Verra, an independent non-profit agency that sets the world’s leading standards for climate action and sustainable development, carried out a year-long verification programme at the plant.
The study confirmed that the plant, which supplies a high-profile commercial and tourist attraction development with sustainable cooling services, brings significant environmental benefits through maximising energy efficiency.
Verra estimated that the 28,000 Refrigeration Ton (RT) facility prevents approximately 19,320 tons of carbon emissions each year due to savings in electricity consumption (compared to the baseline of other stand-alone cooling solutions).
In its report, Verra stated: “highly efficient district cooling will displace the cooling from conventional/less efficient cooling system[s] and reduce the electricity consumption which would result in [a] reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”
The report’s findings mean Tabreed is eligible to trade carbon credits – a major recognition for the company and the district cooling sector. It opens the possibility for Tabreed to bring in additional revenues from the trading of carbon credits, as companies worldwide look for ways in which to offset their own emissions.
Khalid Al Marzooqi, Tabreed’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Where we lead, others try to follow, and this will be no different. In fact, Tabreed is the first district energy company anywhere in the world to achieve this recognition and that’s really important for multiple reasons, not least because it backs up what we’ve always said: that district cooling is up to 50 percent more energy efficient than conventional methods.
“The world is rapidly waking up to the unavoidable fact that climate change is real. And as populations continue to grow, so is the demand for cooling. Tabreed is well placed to meet that demand, as the company is already operating in six different countries, and is ready, willing and able to expand into new territories.”
While the project focused on a single Tabreed plant, its success will allow the company to apply the same methodology to other facilities in its portfolio, thereby resulting in significantly fewer carbon emissions.
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