Abu Dhabi’s Regulation and Supervision Bureau (RSB) announced it is developing a detailed regulatory framework for district cooling in the emirate.

The framework is expected to cover the technical, legal, and economic aspects of the district cooling sector in Abu Dhabi.

A preliminary study was carried out by RSB in 2014 to study the feasibility of regulations for district cooling.
The ongoing development of regulations for the sector include requirements such as mandating the use of district cooling in areas that meet specified criteria; formulating technical standards and guidelines for the supply and performance reportage of district cooling; creating a licensing scheme for district cooling providers, contractual frameworks and standard agreements; setting price regulations for existing and new projects; compiling market competition regulations; and, implementing a regulatory impact assessment study of the framework.

In a statement, RSB said the framework is being developed in collaboration with key stakeholders such as Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, Abu Dhabi General Services (Musanada), Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, the emirate’s Department of Municipal Affairs, and district cooling providers.

Remarking on the upcoming regulations, HE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Butti Al Hamed, chairman of RSB, said: “As part of the bureau’s role as the regulatory body for the electricity, water, and wastewater sector in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, we work on developing the necessary regulatory frameworks in support of the implementation of the plans and strategies that are key to the delivery of Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030.”