This has pushed telecom operators into panic mode, forcing them to turn to alternative energy sources to remain in business by investing hugely in
Hit by the suffocating cost of energy, which accounts for between 40 and 50 per cent of their Operating Expenditure , telecom operators have turned to alternative energy sources to power their infrastructure, especially Base Transceiver Stations and ultimately, lower their cost of operation and reduce carbon emission. However, much as their investments in technologies such as renewable energy could be the tonic to fast-track Nigeria’s Net Zero transition, they are not without challenges.
The report, which was prepared by NCC’s Policy Competition and Economic Analysis Department, and accessed by The Nation said the figure indicated an increase of 20.41 per cent from the figure reported in 2021. The Head of Operations, ALTON, Gbolahan Awonuga said the rising cost of AGO remained a major concern for the MNOs which consume no fewer than 40 million litres per month.
In its 2023 Climate Change Report, the ICT company shared insights into how it is partnering with renewable energy, Independent Power Producer programme to deploy a Compressed Natural Gas power plan to supply both its corporate office, MTN Plaza and main data centre in Ikoyi Lagos. The company aims to do this by reducing energy usage, substituting non-green energy sources and investing in certified climate protection projects with high environmental and social standards to offset the emissions that cannot be avoided.
Despite having 12.8 million subscribers, representing 6.18 per cent market share, which makes it the smallest MNO, the Manager of Field Operations, 9Mobile, Okechukwu Nzeduba lamented that energy cost, maintenance and other associated costs account for 86 per cent of the company’s network OPEX. According to them, investing in renewable energy would help telecom operators to save costs. They identified some of the clean energy sources operators could invest in to power their base stations including solar, hydro and wind turbines.
According to the World Economic Forum , the term net zero applies to a situation where global greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are in balance with emissions reductions. He said although the company planned to extend its deployment to all of its operations, the cost of switching to alternative energy is high, adding that space constraint was another issue to contend with.
While noting that investment in renewable energy as an alternative to the prevailing high energy cost is, indeed, capital-intensive, the 9Mobile chief, however, admitted that Return on Investment in the long- term makes it a worthwhile venture. Power paralysis has remained a perennial problem in the country, stifling industrial growth, limiting business expansion and profitability and fuelling rural and urban unemployment. The problem has manifested through unstable supply and lack of access to the grid, a reason for the establishment of the Rural Electrification Agency in 2005 with the sole aim of taking electricity to the rural and unserved communities.
“The 20 countries with the largest access deficits were home to 76 per cent of the global population living without access to electricity in 2020. Most of the top 20 deficit countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, as diesel prices rise and network infrastructure spreads to more remote areas, other alternatives are required, not only in order to save money, but also to help combat climate change.
As alternatives to diesel, GSMA analysed the viability of other sources of power for mobile base stations: solar, wind, biodiesel, pico-hydro and fuel cells. However, wind power is only viable in such areas as coastal and mountainous regions, where wind blows sufficiently strongly and frequently. In other places, hybrid solutions may be used that combine wind and solar power.
Nigeria Latest News, Nigeria Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Seeking local solutions to Africa\u2019s development, unemployment issues | The Nation NewspaperThe Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) enjoyed global wide acclaim in faraway New York City, USA, during an interface and discussion session on the sidelines of
Read more »
Lafarge Africa joins global initiative for cleanup | The Nation NewspaperAs part of its unwavering commitment to building a sustainable planet, leading building and innovative solutions company, Lafarge Africa Plc commemorated the
Read more »
Insecurity and the plight of kidnap victims (1) | The Nation NewspaperTemitope Oladipo Fayehun must be passing through hard times. A native of Ilesa in Osun State, Fayehun\u2019s ordeal started on March 2, 2021, when he, alongside
Read more »
Nigeria remains huge investment destination - Ex-ECCIMA president | The Nation NewspaperA former president of the Enugu Chamber of Commerce Industry, Mining and Agriculture (ECCIMA), Sir Robert O Anwatu has said that Nigeria remains a huge
Read more »
Two men jailed 40 years for kidnapping Ozekhome, ex-Delta Commissioner | The Nation NewspaperJustice Nyako held that the prosecution established its case against Ezeiegbe and Azuekor and convicted them on the offences of kidnapping, terrorism and
Read more »
Revealed: How hotelier died in own hotel | The Nation NewspaperFacts are emerging on how Adeniyi Ojo, an hotelier in his early 50s, was killed by yet-to-be-identified persons in Ilorin, Kwara State capital.
Read more »