Coolest thing about World Cup arena: Gree of Zhuhai

Gree Electric Appliances Inc has won the contract as the only cooling facilities supplier for the Mordovia Arena in Russia, which will host group games of 2018 FIFA World Cup. The project handover ceremony was held at the National Hotel in Moscow on July 20.

Gree was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Qianshan, Zhuhai. It is the world's largest air conditioner enterprise integrating R&D, manufacturing, marketing and services. 

Located in Saransk, the Mordovia Arena can hold up to 45,000 spectators. Construction began in 2010 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. The World Cup tournaments will be held June 16-28.

The LHE high-efficiency water-cooled screw chiller is a large air-conditioning unit with independent intellectual property rights under Gree's name. Equipped with advanced semi-enclosed double-screw compressor, new-generation high-performance heat exchanger, and upgraded throttle structure, it increases efficiency and reduces energy costs.

Mordovia Arena [Photo courtesy mt.sohu.com]

This latest success marks a milestone in bringing China's home-grown large air-conditioning units to the world stage, an analyst commented.

Gree entered the Russian market in 2001 and over the years has shaped a dual image with its TOSOT brand. Each brand has sales agents and after-sales service centers in major cities of Russia and elsewhere and enjoys a steady increase in sales and influence.

As of May 2017, Gree products accounted for 19.5 percent of air-conditioning exports from China to Russia, compared to 11.5 percent in 2015 and 12 percent in 2016.