AYALALAND Logistics Holdings Corp. (ALLHC) said Thursday that construction of its Batangas and Pampanga cold storage facilities was set to be completed by the first half of this year.

The ALogis Artico Santo Tomas and ALogis Artico Mabalacat facilities expected to add 10,000 pallet positions to the firm's cold storage portfolio, bringing ALLHC's total pallet capacity to 20,000 by full development, the Ayala-led firm said.

Unlike three acquired plants in Laguna and Cebu, ALLHC said the Batangas and Pampanga cold storage facilities were "specifically constructed" to respond to the demand in Southern and Central Luzon.

"When we studied the market, we found an opportunity to help address issues of food safety and security by building cold storage facilities in Santo Tomas, Batangas, and Mabalacat, Pampanga," said Robert Lao, company's president and chief executive officer.

Upon completion of the two facilities, ALLHC said it was also planning to construct another cold storage facility in Luzon and two more in the Visayas and Mindanao this year.

"Our overarching goal is to actively support the country's promising cold chain sector and advance its supply chain logistics," Lao said.

"In light of this, we envision ALogis Artico Santo Tomas and Mabalacat, along with the facilities in our existing portfolio and those in our current planning, as integral components within the supply chains of future tenants."

ALogis Artico Mabalacat, located inside the Pampanga Technopark, will have 5,000 pallet positions and 19 cold rooms, and is targeted for completion by the second quarter of this year.

The renewable energy-powered ALogis Santo Tomas, meanwhile, will have 5,000 pallet positions and 16 cold rooms, and is set for completion by March at the latest.

Cold rooms in both facilities will have temperatures ranging from 10 degrees Celsius (C) to -25 C, the company said.

On Thursday, ALLHC shares rose by 6 centavos to P1.80 each.