Filinvest, ENGIE commit to deliver more RE projects

MANILA, Philippines — Filinvest, one of the country’s largest diversified conglomerates, and ENGIE, a global leader in low-carbon energy and services, have officially announced the launch of four sustainable energy initiatives under their joint venture companies, the Filinvest-ENGIE Renewable Energy Enterprise Inc. (FREE) and Philippine DCS Development Corp. (PDDC).

The projects include a combined 13.68 megawatts (MW) of solar energy for leading companies Cemex, Nexperia and Merasenko Corp., and 11,400 refrigeration tons (RT) of sustainable cooling capacity for Festival Supermall in Filinvest City, Alabang.

“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 Thomas Baudlot, CEO at ENGIE Southeast Asia.

“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 Juan Eugenio Roxas, president and CEO of FDC Utilities Inc., the utility arm of Filinvest Group, and president of FREE. “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.”

The largest of the three solar projects is a 10.08 MW ground-mounted solar array with leading cement producer Cemex through one of its Philippine subsidiaries, APO Cement Corp. The project will be located in the City of Naga, Cebu, and is projected to avoid more than 9,000 metric tons (MT) of CO2 annually. The array will be governed by a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) and over the life of the contract, cumulatively deliver carbon savings equivalent to removing over 50,000 cars from the road. This project is part of Cemex’s Future in Action program, which aims to cover 65 percent of its electricity consumption with clean energy by 2030.

In addition, Cemex Holdings Philippines (the parent company of APO Cement) and ENGIE have entered into a memorandum of understanding to explore the implementation of various renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions for Cemex’s facilities in the City of Naga, and various project sites to help the company advance its sustainability goals.

In Cabuyao, Laguna, FREE has secured a contract with Dutch semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia to implement an over three MW rooftop solar system for their facilities, which process approximately one billion microchips a year. By 2035, Nexperia is targeting to achieve carbon neutrality in its direct operational emissions and the indirect emissions associated with energy procurement for its operations. This commitment necessitates a transition to 100 percent renewable electricity use.

Closing the solar announcements, Merasenko Corp., a leading medical products and solutions company, has engaged FREE to develop a 0.53 MWp rooftop solar system for their facility in the Cebu Light Industrial Park of 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 fifth 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 Michael Dumlao, FVP and business retail head at Filinvest Land, Inc.

Expected to be commissioned in 2025, the CCS compliments Festival Supermall’s 2.8 MW rooftop solar system that commenced operations in 2021, which is notably the largest rooftop solar project in Metro Manila to date.

This latest wave of projects from Filinvest and ENGIE’s partnership exemplifies their shared commitment to accelerating the Philippines’ energy transition. The Philippines have set ambitious goals, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions 75 percent by 2030 to achieving 20 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2040, in line with its Paris Agreement and National Renewable Energy Program 2020-2040 commitments, respectively and ENGIE and Filinvest are acting to help the Philippines meet their targets.