Mega district cooling project in Makkah

Ramboll has just secured a contract for a very big district cooling project in Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. After dedicated business development, the 500 MW district cooling project stands out as a crowning achievement that lifts Ramboll to the top of the global district cooling industry.

During the last eight years, 3,600 dilapidated buildings have been demolished in Makkah in order to clear up space for a new central pedestrian pathway. The King Abdul Aziz Road Project measures 3.65 km in length running from the city outskirts to the Grand Holy Mosque. The average width is 320 meters, and the project includes the construction of two roads, a metro line, a grand mosque and over 200 plots that will house more than 100,000 people. Ramboll will act as technical advisor for the district cooling project and deliver conceptual design, employer’s requirements and procurement assistance.

“This is simply a grand project. The project will need 150 MW power to produce the 500 MW of cooling and this has a significant impact on the power network. Our first deliveries will be the design, location and quantity of the chiller plants together with the piping design and advice on the buildings’ connectivity to the pipeline network. And in Phase 2 we will assist the Client in the procurement of the chiller plants”, says Jens Ole Hansen, Head of the international district energy department in Copenhagen.

The total construction area covers 6.3 million m2, and the project timeframe is approx. ten years.

The client is Umm Al Qura for Development & Construction Company, and among others the King Abdul Aziz Road Project is expected to improve the conditions around the pilgrim activity during Hajj.

More information: 
Peter Heymann Andersen
Executive Director of Ramboll Energy
T +45 5161 8454
E peha@ramboll.com