Aiming to maintain the island’s reputation as a place of world-renowned luxury, Qatar Cool, the district cooling authority for the Pearl Island of Qatar in the Arabian Gulf, announced recently that it has signed a contract with Johnson Controls, Inc. to receive 46 water-cooled chiller units with an option to purchase six more. This is the largest single order for chiller units in the company’s history.

Each Johnson Controls YORK centrifugal chiller unit is 26 feet long, 11 feet wide and 14 feet tall, and weighs 2,500 tons. The units will be shipped from San António (Texas) to Qatar, and installed in the world’s largest district cooling chiller plant. The facility will supply 130,000 tons of chilled water daily to cool more than 15,000 residential and commercial units, providing comfort to the 40,000 Pearl-Qatar residents, reveals the company’s press release. The man-made island covers 985 acres of reclaimed land offshore the Arabian Peninsula state of Qatar – the Arab world’s wealthiest per capita country. The chilled water will be distributed through an underground network of 10-foot tall pipes laid out across the island.  Delivery and installation of the chiller units is expected to begin in December 2007 and continue through May 2008. 

“It is such an honor to have been selected to design and manufacture products that will contribute to this incredibly unique property”, said Ray Ring, regional manager, Johnson Controls. “The plant into which these units will be installed will not be duplicated and is certain to become a global landmark. Our ability to meet the difficult demands of this site demonstrates the technical innovation and expertise we bring to every job.” Ring said a number of factors led to selection of Johnson Controls for the project, such as environmental sensitivity, product durability under harsh conditions and reduced operating costs. Johnson Controls also is installing its Metasys building automation system to ensure the cooling plant operates at maximum efficiency.