Chillers & Central Cooling Plant installations at King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED)

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.

Jeddah is the gateway to Makkah — and few airports carry such spiritual and logistical weight in a single footprint. Its Hajj Terminal, a Skidmore Owings & Merrill marvel of tented fibreglass, has moved pilgrims for four decades while the new Terminal 1 by HOK now handles Saudia's widebody flows. 2024 traffic climbed to 49.1 million as the Kingdom chases a goal of 150 million pilgrims and tourists a year by 2030.