Philippine telco PLDT announced on Thursday it plans to switch 33 facilities in Greater Metro Manila to use 100% renewable energy via a partnership with ACEN’s supply retail unit, ACEN Renewable Energy Solutions (ACEN RES).
Under the partnership, PLDT will leverage ACEN RES’ portfolio of solar and geothermal power solutions to reduce dependency on power from fossil fuel and non-renewable sources, as well as boost operational efficiency.
The facilities covered in the plan include PLDT’s 24/7 integrated operations centre in Makati City that oversees network operations and manages performance of PLDT’s fibre infrastructure and the wireless facilities of its subsidiary Smart Communications across the Philippines.
“This supply agreement with ACEN RES expands and diversifies renewables in the energy mix of our key facilities,” said PLDT VP and sector head for property and facilities Leo Gonzales.
PLDT first VP, chief sustainability officer, and head of investor relations Melissa Vergel de Dios said the agreement with ACEN RES is expected to generate savings in energy and operating costs for PLDT, as well as support its ongoing groupwide decarbonization roadmap with an estimated reduction of almost 21,000 tons of carbon emissions annually.
“Integral to achieving our strategic direction of ensuring long-term profitability by doing business responsibly are initiatives like this that allow us to achieve operational efficiencies and reduce our environmental footprint at the same time,” said Vergel de Dios. “This is a model that we aim to keep scaling up to accelerate our decarbonization roadmap and support the global ambition to achieve Net Zero by 2050.”
Under the roadmap, PLDT Group aims to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, coming from a 2019 baseline. To hit that target, PLDT Group has been venturing into using renewables, green technologies, and various resource optimization initiatives for its network sites, business offices, and key facilities nationwide.
