Ramboll has been selected as the technical advisor for a 500MW district cooling project in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
The contract has been awarded as part of plans to build a pedestrian pathway along King Abdul Aziz Road, which runs from the city’s outskirts to the Grand Mosque, Masjid al-Haram.
The Denmark-headquartered consultancy will deliver conceptual design and procurement assistance services its client, Umm Al Qura Development & Construction.
Commenting on the contract, Jens Ole Hansen, head of Ramboll’s International District Energy Department, said: “This is simply a grand project. The project will need 150MW of power to produce the 500MW 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,” he revealed.
During the past eight years, 3,600 dilapidated buildings have been demolished in Mecca to make way for the new pedestrian pathway. The King Abdul Aziz Road project measures 3.65km, with an average width of 320m. It includes the construction of two roads, a metro line, and over 200 plots to house more than 100,000 people. Ramboll will act as technical advisor for district cooling at the project.
The total construction area covers 630ha, and the project timeframe is approximately 10 years. The development is expected to help alleviate pilgrim-related congestion during Hajj.
