Filinvest-ENGIE Renewable Energy Enterprise Inc. (FREE) and Philippine DCS Development Corp. (PDDC) expect to complete three solar projects with a combined capacity of 13.68 megawatts (MW) by 2024 to 2025.
FREE is a joint venture of Filinvest Group, one of the Philippines’ largest diversified conglomerates and ENGIE, a global leader in low-carbon energy and services.
The solar projects will power the facilities of Cemex, Nexperia and Merasenko Corp. and provide 11,400 refrigeration tons (RT) of sustainable cooling capacity for Festival Supermall in Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa.
“ENGIE and Filinvest have been working in partnership to advance the Philippines’ sustainability goals since 2015. ENGIE is proud to be part of these new initiatives, which build upon the positive impact we have already made together in improving access to renewable energy, reducing CO2 emissions, and fostering more environmentally sustainable economic development in the country,” said ENGIE South East Asia chief executive Thomas Baudlot.
The largest of the three solar projects is a 10.08-MW ground-mounted solar array with cement producer Cemex through subsidiary APO Cement Corp.
The project in Naga City, Cebu is projected to avoid more than 9,000 metric tons (MT) of CO2 annually. It carries a 25-year power purchase agreement over the life of the contract. It is part of Cemex’s Future in Action program, which aims to cover 65 percent of its electricity consumption with clean energy by 2030.
“Filinvest and ENGIE, through the services offered by our joint ventures, FREE and PDDC, are proud to help companies from energy-intensive industries to achieve their sustainability goals,” said FDC Utilities Inc. and FREE president Juan Eugenio Roxas.
FDC Utilities is the utility arm of Filinvest Group.
“With these projects, customers in complex industries like cement and semiconductor manufacturing are taking action to decarbonize, setting an example for others, without compromising on their bottom lines and customer satisfaction,” Roxas said.
Cemex Holdings Philippines, the parent company of APO Cement, and ENGIE also signed a memorandum of understanding explore the implementation of various renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions for Cemex’s facilities in Naga City and various project sites to help the company advance its sustainability goals.
FREE secured a contract with Dutch semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia to implement an over 3-MW rooftop solar system for latter’s Cabuyao, Laguna facilities, which process about 1 billion microchips a year.
Merasenko Corp., a leading medical products and solutions company, tapped FREE to develop a 0.53-MW rooftop solar system for their facility at the Cebu Light Industrial Park in Cebu City.
Meanwhile, PDDC will develop a low-carbon centralized cooling system (CCS) for Festival Supermall in Alabang, under a 20-year build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) contract.
“The scope of this project is nothing short of remarkable. Once completed, Festival Supermall, the country’s 5th largest mall, will enjoy a sustainable centralized cooling system with a capacity of 11,400 RT that is projected to save a substantial 47,500 metric tons of CO2 over the contract’s 20-year term, an impact equivalent to planting more than three-quarters of a million trees,” said Filinvest Land Inc. first vice president Michael Dumlao.