Hong Kong’s first Cooling as a Service Project
Business expands into Greater Bay Area
A Milestone in Cooling
The real estate and construction businesses of Shui On Group covers across Hong Kong and Mainland China. Its Hong Kong headquarters Shui On Centre is a 34-storey Grade A office building in Hong Kong covering 51,500 square metres.
Energy efficiency is at the heart of the renovation of the Shui On Centre in 2023. Under a 15-year agreement, CLPe has been given the responsibility to fund, design, construct, operate, and maintain the new cooling system for the centre in the first Cooling as a Service (CaaS) project in Hong Kong. The partnership was extended to Shui On’s Lingnan Tiandi complex in Foshan in Mainland China in the third quarter of 2023 when CLPe upgraded its cooling system for greater efficiency.
Challenges and Solutions
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Creating highly efficient air conditioning
As an office hub in a thriving central business district, flawlessly efficient air conditioning is essential for Shui On Centre to provide tenants with an ideal working environment. CLPe replaced the seawater-cooled chillers with three freshwater-cooled chillers, providing a maximum capacity of 2,100 refrigeration tonnes. The COP (coefficient of performance) of the chillers was hugely improved and maintained around the clock by an AI-operated management system, PlantPRO.
CLPe revolutionised the way cool air is delivered at Shui On Centre in Wan Chai.
Value Created for the Customer
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A new one-stop business model
Shui On Centre is Hong Kong’s first CaaS project. It emerges from a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) agreement which CLPe receives a service fee for a one-stop service covering funding, design, and construction, as well as operation and maintenance of the system.
This arrangement minimises the investment burden of the customer and takes away the need for resources to run the system’s daily operations. With a contract period of 15 years, CLPe can help Shui On Group achieve long-term sustainable business development. -
Saving energy and adding value to property
The three new freshwater-cooled chillers in the Shui On Centre are equipped with the AI management system PlantPRO, and have a capacity of 2,100 refrigeration tonnes. They will reduce electricity consumption by more than 30% and reduce carbon emissions by 370 tonnes a year.
The project provides a sustainable business environment for Shui On Group and its tenants and supports Hong Kong on its pathway to a net-zero future. It also enhances the competitive advantage of office complex and its appeal to new clients. -
Expanding partnerships into the Greater Bay Area
On top of providing Hong Kong’s first CaaS project, the partnership has expanded into the Greater Bay Area. In the third quarter of 2023, CLPe is providing cooling solutions for the Shui On Group’s Lingnan Tiandi complex in Foshan, applying the PlantPRO AI management system on existing chiller plants to improve energy efficiency after considering the lifecycle of the equipment and operating cost. The new automated system has a greatly improved energy efficiency ratio (EER) and is expected to reduce the cost of cooling in the complex by 20% with the daily operations and maintenance supported by CLPe team.