Engie invests in Philippine district cooling project

Engie is investing in a joint-venture district cooling project in the Philippines, the first phase of which came online this week.

Together with Philippine real estate developer Filinvest Land Inc (FLI), Engie said it will invest P1.5bn in a district cooling system for the Northgate Cyberzone, a 19-ha IT park, in the Alabang district of Muntinlupa city.

The joint venture company, Philippine DCS Development Corporation (PDDC), is majority-owned by Filinvest, which holds a 60 per cent share to Engie’s 40 per cent.

The 10,000-tonne plant in the Northgate Cyberzone has a cooling capacity of 42.2 MW and serves 15 buildings through a 3.4-km underground distribution network.

At the project’s launch this week, PDCC president Joseph Yap said his firm is considering using similar district cooling technology in FLI’s other real estate projects around the Philippines.

“We look forward to servicing the offices here in Northgate and we hope that building occupants and office workers will begin to appreciate the difference of DCS with conventional air-conditioning system, like reduction in noise and vibration,” he was quoted as saying.

“Business owners, on the other hand, should be able to realize long-term benefits in terms of efficiency and reduced greenhouse-gas emission.”

And Engie Group executive vice-president Didier Holleaux added: “Our ambition for Northgate DCS is to be a model for dense urban areas in Southeast Asia and showcase how district energy solutions can help cities optimize energy supply, reduce electricity consumption, support economic development and lower environment impact.”

Source: Decentralized Energy
Engie invests in Philippine district cooling project