PHILSTAR

FILINVEST-ENGIE Renewable Energy Enterprise, Inc. (FREE) is set to add more than 13 megawatts (MW) to its portfolio with new solar projects in the pipeline.

Among the projects is the 10.09-MW ground-mounted solar facility to be built with partner cement producer Cemex Holdings Philippines, Inc. through its subsidiary APO Cement Corp., the company said in a media release.

The project, which is located in Naga City, Cebu, is projected to prevent 9,000 metric tons (MT) of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year.

FREE is a joint venture company between FDC Utilities, Inc. (FDCUI), the power utility unit of Filinvest Development Corp. (FDC), and ENGIE Services Philippines, a unit of the French utility company ENGIE.

The company has also secured a contract with Dutch semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia to build around a 3 MW rooftop solar system.

FREE has also sealed a partnership with medical company Merasenko Corp. to develop a 0.53-MW-peak rooftop solar system for the latter’s facility at the Cebu Light Industrial Park.

Filinvest Land, Inc. (FLI), the real estate arm of FDC, also has a joint venture with ENGIE called Philippine DCS Development Corp. (PDDC).

PDDC is set to develop a low-carbon centralized cooling system (CCS) for Festival Supermall in Alabang, under a 20-year build, own, operate, and transfer contract.

FLI First Vice-President and Business Retail Head Michael Angelo A. Dumlao said that the CCS has a capacity of 11,400 refrigeration tons of sustainable cooling capacity and could prevent 47,500 MT of CO2.

With the target commissioning by 2025, the project is expected to complement Festival Supermall’s 2.8-MW rooftop solar system.

“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,” FDCUI President and Chief Executive Officer Juan Eugenio L. Roxas. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera

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