Business | Opinion

Eyeing a strong global presence

Palm Utilities, a subsidiary of Istithmar World, provides utility services for large-scale developments in Dubai. Gulf News talked to its CEO Keith Levers about the company's future plans

  • By Irish R. Eden Belleza, Web Coordinator
  • Published: 23:54 June 22, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Keith Levers, Chief Executive Officer, Palm Utilities.
  • Image Credit: Press release

Gulf News: Where did the idea of establishing Palm Utilities come from?

Levers: Palm Utilities has been established as an initiative to complement the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, regarding the improvement of our utility infrastructure while at the same time maintaining the well-being of our environment.

Gulf News: Are Palm Utilities' services limited only to Dubai?

Levers: Palm Utilities will contribute to the centralisation and modernisation of the delivery of fundamental utility services to Dubai and the rest of the UAE. It is our ultimate aim to establish a strong presence in other high-potential areas around the world.

Gulf News: What are the main projects handled by Palm Water (PW) and Palm District Cooling (PDC), Palm Utilities' subsidiary companies?

Levers: PW is handling the Palm Jumeirah Crescent desalination plant (64,000 m3/day); trunk and crescent sewage treatment plants utilising MBR technology (35,000 m3/day); TSE polishing plant (18,000 m3/day); the Jafza Utility project (desalination capacity 100,000 m3/day); MBR sewage treatment plant of 112,000 m3/day capacity; TSE Polishing Plant of 60,000 m3/day capacity; and various services for the World Islands project.

PDC is providing district-cooling service (chilled water) to Gardens Residential Complex (25,000 tonnes of refrigeration or TR), Jumeirah Islands (15,000 TR), Discovery Gardens (126,000 TR) and Palm Jumeirah Trunk (126,000 TR). It is also working on several other projects, which are at various stages of construction like The Jumeirah Lake Towers (167,000 TR), Palm Jumeirah Crescent (124,000 TR), Jumeirah Village South (255,000 TR), Palm Jebel Ali (490,000 TR), International City (310,000 TR), Dubai Maritime City (122,000 tonnes) and the three phases of Dubai Waterfront (632,000 tons).

In 2005, PDC raised its cooling capacity to 550,000 tonnes and is again poised to increase production to 1.8 million tonnes by 2010 as a result of strong market demand.

Gulf News: Who is Palm Utilities' main competitor?

Levers: Every industry has its fair share of competitors; which in fact results in the provision of products and services of higher quality. Our commitment to excellence has made us well placed to efficiently cater to the growing demands of our industry, and we are focused on setting new standards of service quality in the UAE.

  • Rate this article
  • Average reader rating (0 votes) 2 Stars
Tools

Emailing an article to friend is a simple way to share a news item. Your friend will receive an email with your name and email address as well any personal message you choose to send.

The information you provide on this page will not be used to send unsolicited emails.

This service is not intended to encourage spam, and action may be taken against individuals who maliciously enter personal details of another individual.

Share this article

More from Business Opinion

  1. Transaction tax plan raises heat

  2. Thinking out of the corporate box

  3. Restoring trust in US market

  4. Feeble greenback amplifies returns

All articles in Opinion

More from Business

Gulf News
Popular in Business
Way to go this DSF
XPRESS

Way to go this DSF

A fun-filled route to guide you to all the happening dos in town

Business Editor's choice