A chilled water plant is a site where water is cooled to near freezing levels for the purpose of transmission to other places for air conditioning. Common arrangements include provision of chilled water to subscribing buildings within a few kilometers, or provision to a large complex (like a university or hospital) from a central plant.

The cooled water is supplied to other places for air conditioning. A central plant serving several buildings on one campus is included alongside a network serving separate subscribers.

The reference to nearby subscribers describes a common arrangement rather than a fixed service-radius limit. The plant must perform the cooling that supports the distributed supply.