Enwave CEO Named Ontario Energy Association Leader of the Year
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- Enwave Energy Corporation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Board Director Carlyle Coutinho has been named the 2026 Ontario Energy Association (OEA) Leader of the Year, becoming the first CEO of a dedicated district energy company to receive the award.
In a statement, Enwave said the recognition reflected Coutinho’s leadership in advancing large-scale energy solutions and in raising the profile of district energy, which supplies heating and cooling to multiple buildings through shared equipment, in meeting Ontario’s and Canada’s energy needs.
The OEA Leader of the Year award, one of the highest honours in Canada’s energy sector, recognises individuals who demonstrate vision, innovation, collaboration and a strong commitment to customers.
“District energy has an important role to play as the need for reliable, affordable and secure clean energy grows in Ontario and around the world.
“By recovering heat, storing energy and sharing it across buildings, we can deliver cost-effective heating and cooling while helping ease demand on the electricity grid,” said Coutinho, who is also a past Chair of the International District Energy Association.
Under his leadership, Enwave expanded its Deep Lake Water Cooling system by building a fourth intake pipe, raising the system’s cooling capacity by about 60 per cent. The system removes about 50 megawatts (MW) of electricity demand compared with a conventional commercial office chiller plant.
The company also commissioned its Green Heat Plant at the Pearl Street Energy Centre, where large heat pumps recover waste heat from district cooling customers and reuse it to heat other connected buildings. The plant can cut its draw from the grid by up to about six MW during peak demand periods by switching to on-site, non-electrical energy sources without interrupting hot water service.
Enwave has also developed a large-scale thermal battery at The Well, a mixed-use development in downtown Toronto, which stores heating and cooling energy for use when it delivers the greatest benefit to customers and the electricity system.
In 2027, Enwave plans to commission two new district energy systems in Ontario, at Lakeview Village in Mississauga and the Etobicoke Civic Centre in Toronto. It is also building an upgraded energy-from-waste facility in Prince Edward Island, which is intended to double the waste processing capacity of its existing district energy system there.
-- BERNAMA