Upscale Peninsula hotel gets P1.3 M in gov’t subsidy

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has awarded P1.3-million in subsidies to The Peninsula Manila in Makati City for its environment-friendly air-conditioning system.

The amount represents 15 percent of the cost of its newly installed chiller that uses ozone-friendly refrigerants in compliance with the requirements under the Philippine Chiller Energy Efficient Project (PCEEP), a World Bank-assisted project implemented by the DENR, officials said in a news release.

“Indeed, there is much reward to be had when you are ozone-friendly,” Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said.

He handed a check for P1,362,438 to the Peninsula’s general manager, Sonja Vodusek, in a ceremony held at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Center in Quezon City on Monday.

Paje commended the luxury hotel for its “consistent high marks in improving its operations toward becoming more ozone-friendly.”

The Peninsula Manila is the first beneficiary of the PCEEP, which aims to speed up the replacement of inefficient chillers and other cooling equipment containing ozone-depleting substances used by various industries.

The project is funded by grants from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) amounting to $2.6 million and the Ozone Trust Fund worth $1 million.

On top of the subsidy, Peninsula also stands to “benefit more in terms of lower electric consumption and lower carbon footprint which may also be a big plus in its efforts to green its operations,” Paje said. “This alone is a tremendous boost to the hotel’s corporate social responsibility.”

The hotel enrolled in the PCEEP in December 2010. Five months later, a sub-grant agreement was signed between the DENR and the hotel to formalize the latter’s participation in the project.

In July 2012, the new 23XRV energy efficient chiller was installed.

Old chillers use ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gases as refrigerants, namely chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HCFCs).

PCEEP is in support of the country’s commitments to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The primary objectives of the project are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing chillers with non-CFC energy efficient ones, and promote energy efficiency and savings.

At the end of the project life on January 1, 2017, the PCEEP is expected to have replaced 30,649 tons of refrigeration, reduced 5,700 kilograms of ozone-depleting potentials, generated at least 124.7 gigawatt hours in electricity savings and reduced 62,400 tons of greenhouse gases.

Throughout the project life, a total of 20 sub-grant agreements are expected to be signed that would cover the replacement of at least 53 chiller units.

Also enrolled in the PCEEP are known establishments like Shoe Mart, Trinoma, Greenbelt, Manila Pavilion, Waterfront Insular Davao Hotel, Marco Polo Davao, Philamlife, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Security Bank, Philippine National Bank and Lufthansa Airlines.

Government agencies and facilities like the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority, Social Security System, and Cultural Center of the Philippines have also registered for the project.