Chillers & Central Cooling Plant installations at Zayed International Airport (AUH)

The chilled-water plant is the heart of every Gulf terminal and the single biggest lever on its energy bill. This sub-category covers water- and air-cooled centrifugal, helical-rotary (screw), scroll and oil-free magnetic-bearing chillers, plus the BMS/controls (e.g. Metasys, Tracer SC+) that sequence and optimise them. The defining requirement is high-ambient performance: machines that hold rated capacity and efficiency against 48–52 °C apron air, where standard 35 °C-rated chillers de-rate sharply. Buyers compare IPLV / kW-per-ton, magnetic-bearing vs conventional drivelines, low-GWP refrigerant transition (R-1234ze / R-513A), and AHRI certification. Specifiers also weigh plant resilience, N+1 redundancy and the option to buy chilled water from a district utility instead.

Renamed in 2024 in honour of the UAE's founding father, Zayed International announced itself to the world with Terminal A — a sculptural, light-flooded building the size of 27 football pitches, opened the same year. Home to Etihad's Greenliner fleet, the airport is Abu Dhabi's statement that capital-of-culture ambitions demand capital-of-aviation infrastructure. Passenger volumes surged to 28.8 million in 2024 as Etihad accelerated a 170-aircraft fleet plan.