Middle East

ABR Topic 06 • Back to interactive ABR viewer

Middle East (most relevant: UAE/GCC pattern)

The Middle East often regulates cooling/water via utilities + district cooling regulators + local environmental authorities, with water scarcity making non-potable / recycled water and efficiency a practical requirement.

UAE examples (because they’re well-defined)

Abu Dhabi Department of Energy: “District Cooling Regulation” (Decision 44) includes requirements tied to efficiency and sound water management for district cooling systems.
Department of Energy

Dubai: the Regulatory and Supervisory Bureau (RSB) sets a licensing/authorization regime for district cooling services and technical standards.
RSB Dubai

Why this matters to data centers

If you are connecting to district cooling (or building in an area that requires/strongly prefers it), you inherit those regulatory requirements—your cooling approach becomes a regulated utility interface.

Common governing bodies across GCC

Electricity & water authorities (connection approvals, tariffs, capacity constraints)

Environmental regulators (discharge, chemical handling, air emissions for generators)

District cooling regulators (where district cooling is mandated/standard)

(If you tell me which countries—UAE, Saudi, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait—I’ll map the exact agencies and the permit touchpoints.)