Case Study: Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals achieves reliable, capital-free central chilled water service with Veolia North America

Philadelphia hospital benefits from Veolia owned, chilled water plant

Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals faced the need to renew and expand campus cooling for its 925‑bed hospital and university facilities but lacked the upfront capital to self‑develop a new central chilled water plant. Veolia North America stepped in to provide a financed, third‑party solution to meet the institution’s chilled‑water demand without the $24 million initial capital commitment.

Veolia North America designed, financed, built and now owns, operates and maintains a 7,000‑ton central chilled‑water plant — including four centrifugal chillers, a custom cooling tower, pumps, switchgear, emergency generator and 2,000 lineal feet of distribution pipe — serving six buildings and roughly 1.7 million square feet under a 30‑year agreement. The arrangement eliminated the client’s capital outlay, delivered reliable chilled water service across the campus, and enabled Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals to focus on patient care and research.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals