Majid Al Futtaim Ventures and Dalkia announced an extension to their JV initially agreed in 2002 which enables the companies to expand the MAF Dalkia brand of facilities and energy management services into the Gulf, Levant and Egypt markets.

As part of the expansion, MAF Dalkia will extend its focus to specific facilities and energy management opportunities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and other key geographies while leveraging regional and international expertise in healthcare, telecommunications and other key industry verticals across the region.

By 2011, MAF Dalkia will be providing facilities and energy management services for an estimated 3.3 million square meters of commercial and residential space in the Middle East, in addition to managing at least 125,000TR cooling capacity and 2,550 MWH power managed through various client initiatives.

Mr Ahmed Galal Ismail CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Ventures and chairman of MAF Dalkia said that "As an increasing number of commercial projects and towers in the region are completed, owners are looking for facilities management partners that have proven leadership in energy efficiency, operational cost reduction, and maximization of resources MAF Dalkia has this firsthand experience, and the expansion of our joint venture is in large part a response to customer demand around the region."

To expedite the regional roll out of the expanded JV, MAF Dalkia and Dalkia International will merge their current facilities management operations in Bahrain where the companies count banks, shopping malls and mixed use destinations among their current clients. New offices in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria are planned in the near future in order to strengthen the JV between Majid Al Futtaim Ventures and Dalkia.

Mr Mohamed Lasri CEO of Dalkia Middle East, North Africa and Turkey said that "The wider Middle East market is one of the world's fastest growing geographies for facilities management due to the need for competitive differentiation and cost management among building owners. No longer an afterthought and in fact set to eventually outpace the region's construction sector, facilities and energy management is a strategic consideration for governments and private enterprises across the region and MAF Dalkia is poised to advance its growth as an industry."

(Sourced from www.albawaba.com)