THE Philippines’ leading sustainable real estate developer, NEO, continues to partner with AboitizPower for the supply of clean and renewable energy to its seven certified green office buildings in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, through the recent formalization of their Cleanergy partnership.
“Given our current climate crisis, sourcing and utilizing only renewable energy is more critical than ever. Net zero energy and reducing the carbon footprint of our buildings is one of our key sustainability commitments in addressing climate change, and AboitizPower has been a key partner in our current success,” NEO president and chief executive officer Raymond Rufino said.
Rufino also highlighted how AboitizPower supported NEO in achieving net zero certifications for its buildings.
“With the NEO portfolio powered by AboitizPower’s Cleanergy since 2013, three of our buildings, One/NEO, Four/NEO, and Six/NEO have been certified net zero by the Advancing Net Zero Rating Scheme of the Philippine Green Building Council, with the remaining four buildings in our portfolio in line for certification within the year. We look forward to our continued partnership with AboitizPower as we work collectively in advocating for net zero across the Philippine real estate industry,” Rufino added.
NEO is the first property owner and developer to have completed its entire portfolio with five-star certifications under the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence program, the nationally recognized green building rating system. In the past year, NEO also achieved five-star certifications for net zero carbon energy in three of its buildings under the Philippine Green Building Council’s Advancing Net Zero Rating Scheme pilot program, which verifies a development’s net zero carbon energy emissions. NEO is looking to receive the same five-star certifications for its four remaining facilities and is currently working on a “Zero Carbon Champion” pilot program with the International Finance Corporation under their EDGE Zero Carbon rating tool.
The renewed partnership between NEO and AboitizPower is a testament to the continued growth of the country’s renewable energy market, highlighting the role of various businesses and organizations in building a more sustainable future.
“NEO has been a partner of AboitizPower since the opening of the retail electricity market in 2013. We are excited about the next phase of our partnership and look forward to joining NEO in addressing the global climate crisis not just through net zero carbon emissions, but more so in supporting their sustainable management practices through our energy services and community programs,” AboitizPower first vice president for Commercial Operations Juan Alejandro Aboitiz said.
AboitizPower, together with its partners, is currently the Philippines’ largest owner and operator of renewable energy based on installed capacity. To continue supporting businesses and organizations that are looking to shift to more sustainable operations, AboitizPower is set to further expand its Cleanergy portfolio in the next 10 years. It aims for a 50:50 balance between its renewable and thermal portfolios by 2030. This aspirational target is fully supportive of the government’s efforts to build the Philippine renewable energy market and is well-aligned with global renewable energy goals.
AboitizPower has also been recently recognized as a constituent company in the FTSE4Good Index Series for the fourth consecutive year and has managed to get a higher overall rating in the latest assessment. This underscores the company’s commitment to strengthening its sustainability standards and practices to constantly create long-term value for all stakeholders./PN
