Jnayin Nourah to debut world’s first open-space geothermal cooling system

A Riyadh project at Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University is moving forward with what developers call the world’s first open-space geothermal cooling system. The plan pairs Saudi Tabreed’s district cooling infrastructure with Strataphy’s PrimeLoop technology to cut water use and energy demand in a water-stressed market.

Why it matters: - The Jnayin Nourah Project could become a test case for low-water cooling in the Gulf, where air conditioning drives major power demand. - The system is designed to use geothermal heat rejection instead of cooling towers, which could reduce water use to zero and lower electricity demand by up to 50%. - The project is positioned as a model for large developments that need reliable cooling in extreme heat without adding pressure on water and power systems.

What happened: - A binding memorandum of understanding was signed for an innovative district cooling solution at the Jnayin Nourah Project on the Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University campus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. - Best Land for Real Estate and Investment LLC and Daim Al Athar for Real Estate Co. form the consortium representing the client and project owner. - Saudi District Cooling Company, known as Saudi Tabreed, will serve as the district cooling infrastructure developer. - Strataphy will provide its PrimeLoop geothermal cooling technology. - The collaboration covers an indicative cooling load of about 10,000 TR, or roughly 35 MWth.

The details: - PrimeLoop is Strataphy’s patented geothermal cooling technology, built to make shallow geothermal energy viable for large-scale district cooling. - The system is engineered to reject heat into the earth and use the stable temperature of the shallow subsurface. - Strataphy says the technology overcomes the drilling depth and scale limits that have constrained conventional geothermal cooling. - The project is described as the world’s first open-space cooling geothermal system. - The project is also described as the first geothermal-supported development on a university campus anywhere in the Middle East. - PrimeLoop is designed to provide round-the-clock cooling regardless of ambient temperature. - The collaboration is intended to deliver reliable, efficient and future-ready cooling for one of the Kingdom’s most ambitious developments. - The project is also framed as part of a broader mixed-use destination with sustainability built in from the start.

Between the lines: - District cooling is already a major strategy in hot climates because centralized systems can be more efficient than standalone cooling units. - This project pushes district cooling further by pairing it with shallow geothermal, which could expand the technology’s use in dense urban developments. - The water-saving angle is especially important in Saudi Arabia, where conventional cooling towers can consume millions of cubic meters of water each year. - The partnership also signals an effort to align real estate development with the Kingdom’s sustainability and infrastructure goals.

What's next: - Saudi Tabreed will move ahead with the turnkey cooling solution while Strataphy delivers PrimeLoop Cooling. - The project will now be watched as a proof point for whether open-space geothermal cooling can scale beyond a first-of-its-kind deployment. - If performance matches the claims, the model could influence future district cooling projects in the region and beyond.

The bottom line: - Jnayin Nourah is being positioned as a global first in geothermal-supported district cooling, with the potential to reshape how large developments in hot, water-scarce regions are cooled. - LinkedIn company page