ICT sector plays constructive role in sustainability - MTN

"The ICT sector is globally acknowledged as a key role player in addressing the impact of industries on the environment, and as a responsible corporate citizen, MTN is acutely conscious of the effects of climate change, as it has a real impact on its business, customers, local communities and of course government objectives," says Karel Pienaar; MD of MTN SA.

"We have invested R22m on the construction of a 2MW methane gas powered tri-generation plant at our head office in 14th Avenue, Fairland in Johannesbrug."

The tri-generation plant generates electricity and through a second re-absorption chiller cycle using the waste heat, produces water for the air-conditioning systems in all the buildings on the campus. The plant enables MTN to manage potential energy shortages and reduce power consumption, while increasing savings and initiating a sustainability model to reduce its carbon footprint. This approach has resulted in various other positive 'green' spin-offs for the organisation.

Plant provides power to MTN campus

The plant produces an estimated 800kW of cooling for free, resulting in further savings in the building's air conditioning processes. The plant, which is the first of its kind in Africa, also provides power to the MTN campus, including their data and test switch centres.

"We are proud of the fact that our tri-generation plant has been approved as a UN Certified Emission Reduction carbon project, through its innovative efficient design that saves 17 500 tons of carbon per annum," continues Pienaar. MTN has further embarked on a massive "Greening 14th Avenue" initiative, to green the campus at the MTN head office.

"We are in the process of getting our head office accredited with the US standard Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) institution, which will make MTN the first company in South Africa to receive this much sought after accreditation."

At face value, the costs to "greening" might appear prohibitive. However, the massive savings that MTN has made since initiating the 'green campus' project further strengthens the business case for sustainability. In the last eight months, MTN has saved 37% in energy consumption.