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A decade on, ENGIE & Cyberview continue to lead on innovation in sustainable cooling for Malaysia with Megajana in Cyberjaya

ENGIE’s joint venture with Cyberview, Pendinginan Megajana, has been the sole provider of district cooling services in Cyberjaya since 1998. However, despite being one of the oldest and most established district cooling systems (DCS) in the country, the Megajana DCS continues to set new standard of excellence in energy efficient cooling. 

In fact, new optimisations implemented in 2023 for Megajana’s DCS have been featured in the 18 December issue of Asia Pacific Urban Energy Association’s APUEA Magazine. Follow the links below to read all about the history of this storied sustainability project.

APUEA Magazine: Megajana, a Beacon of Excellence in Malaysia’s Burgeoning District Cooling Market 

ENGIE South East Asia: ENGIE & Pendinginan Megajana Launch New District Cooling Facilities to Expand Chilled Water Capacity at Cyberjaya

Setting the Bar for Malaysia’s District Cooling Market

In alignment with Malaysia’s target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, ENGIE brings its international expertise to a transformative partnership with Cyberview, Pendinginan Megajana Sdn, developer for the Megajana District Cooling System (DCS), one of the oldest and most established in the country.

To support the development of the nation’s low-carbon cooling market, the Malaysian government imposes specialised power tariffs for thermal energy storage (TES), and issues additional certification ratings for buildings and demonstration projects, such as the pioneering Megajana project back in 1998.

First of its kind and starting with a marginal 2,300 RT capacity system for five buildings, the project aimed to reduce operational costs and showcase the viability of centralised cooling systems for Malaysia. Subsequently, the government’s decision to connect additional nearby buildings set off a domino effect. With higher building participation, a vital factor in the success of district cooling projects, various stakeholders began paying attention to the government-endorsed benefits of district cooling.

A pivotal moment for Megajana came in 2013 when ENGIE infused substantial investment in its then new partnership with Cyberview. An expansion of Megajana’s chilled water capacity commenced with the installation of a new 2,000 RT electrical chiller and a 20,000 RT per hour (RTh) TES, bringing the total installed capacity to 14,000 RT of chillers and 95,500 RTh of stored thermal energy. This ensured 3.8 million RTh of chilled water distributed monthly for 46 connected buildings and reduced power consumption by 2.3 GWh. Within 4 years, the enhanced operation of Megajana saw a 5% energy efficiency gain—an equivalent of 1,160 tonnes of CO₂ avoided per year, akin to planting 19,000 trees per year.

Continued momentum saw 2 substantial upgrades for one of Megajana’s two district cooling plants in 2023. The plant’s existing 9,000 RTh ice storage system, circa 2002, was revamped into a 17,000 RTh chilled water TES, enhancing its ability to charge cooling power at night when over 70% of electrical consumption happens, thus reducing its peak electricity demand.

In addition, the plant’s office was renovated and expanded to incorporate an advanced control command centre for real-time, remote monitoring and operation of both cooling plants and the connected chilled water network. Overall, the partnership with ENGIE has resulted in a significant improvement in electrical efficiency of 28.7% for Megajana.

Last but not least, ENGIE persists in its commitment to workplace safety. Over a period of 1.5 years, more than 47,000 total safety manhours were achieved, with zero loss time incidents.