As businesses and property owners look for practical ways to manage rising energy costs, Filinvest is advancing centralized cooling solutions that allow large developments to reduce electricity and water use, improve operating efficiency, and support a lower-carbon future.
Through Philippine DCS Development Corporation (PDDC), a joint venture between Filinvest and global energy company, ENGIE, the group is enabling commercial buildings, malls, offices and mixed-use developments to modernize their cooling systems. Established in 2015, PDDC provides end-to-end cooling solutions, from project financing, system design, construction and installation to operations and maintenance, through both district cooling systems and stand-alone cooling systems, allowing clients to upgrade their infrastructure without the need for large upfront capital investments.
At Filinvest City Muntinlupa, PDDC operates one of the largest District Cooling Systems (DCS) in the country, serving a network of 16 office buildings since 2017. As of the end of June 2026, the system has saved more than 108 gigawatt-hours of electricity, representing approximately ₱2.42 billion in energy cost savings at current prices. It has also avoided more than 76,000 metric tons of carbon emissions.
“District cooling is more than an energy solution. It is a strategic investment in sustainable urban infrastructure that helps create more energy-efficient and competitive facilities and business districts,” said PDDC General Manager Jonathan Urbano.
A District Cooling System replaces cooling equipment in individual buildings with a centralized plant that produces chilled water and distributes it to multiple buildings through an underground piping network.
PDDC has since expanded its service portfolio to Clark International Airport, Festival Mall, Quest Hotel Manila, PBCom Tower in Makati, and other strategic developments within and outside the Filinvest ecosystem. Its project in Festival Mall is also the country’s first Complex Energy Efficiency Project approved by both the Department of Trade and Industry–Board of Investments and the Department of Energy to receive fiscal incentives under the CREATE MORE Act.
Overall, PDDC manages a total cooling capacity of 27,600 tons of refrigeration to date. These systems have generated 120,000 megawatt-hours in energy savings and avoided 84,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Building on nearly a decade of successful experience in operating stand-alone and district cooling systems (DCS), PDDC is now offering its end-to-end, modern, cost-effective and energy-efficient cooling solutions with no upfront CAPEX, to non-Filinvest property owners and developers.
“Our current facilities are achieving efficiency levels of approximately 0.60 kilowatt per ton of refrigeration, resulting in energy savings of at least 40%. All businesses, not just Filinvest companies, can really benefit from adopting our cooling systems because they promote operational efficiency while supporting the companies’ ESG and sustainability goals,” Urbano added.
