Tabreed Bahrain is expanding its district cooling network along the northern seafront of Manama. The company has appointed Arabian International Company WLL as the EPC contractor for the project.
Operations are scheduled to begin in summer 2027.
The expansion will add 12,000 Refrigeration Tonnes (RT) of connected cooling capacity to Tabreed’s existing network. It forms part of the company’s medium-term cooling plan, built around the pace of new development along the seafront.
District cooling moves chilled water through a shared network instead of having each building run its own chillers. The model uses less electricity and takes pressure off the national grid during peak summer months. In a country where cooling accounts for a large share of electricity demand, that distinction matters.
The project ties into Bahrain’s net-zero targets and the wider effort to reduce emissions in the building sector.
“District cooling plays a critical role in reducing electricity consumption and improving system efficiency,” said Ali AlRumaihi, Country Manager at Tabreed Bahrain. He framed the project as a response to rising demand in the seafront area.
Rajan Sharma, Managing Director of Arabian International, said the team would deliver the project to standards expected on major infrastructure work in the Kingdom. The Bahrain-based firm has previously worked on utility and infrastructure projects across the public and private sectors.
Manama’s northern seafront is one of the more active development corridors in the city. As residential and commercial space continues to come online, the cooling load grows with it.
How that demand is met — building by building, or through shared infrastructure — shapes how much energy the city uses, and how cleanly it grows.
