(Ecofin Agency) – On the sidelines of the 2022 climate change conference (Cop27), held from November 6 to 18, 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Jean Michel Canto, Director of Sustainable Energy & Partnerships at Orange Middle East & Africa, gave an exclusive interview to We Are Tech. During the interview, he highlighted the areas of investment of the French telecom group in Africa in favor of the planet.
We Are Tech: What justifies the presence of the Orange group at Cop27?
Jean-Michel Canto : Orange, at group level, made very clear commitments on the environment and the climate several years ago. We have been committed for a long time to these issues that are close to our hearts. We have already carried out several actions across all the countries where we operate to reduce our environmental impact. Through the COP27, we want to support governments in achieving the objectives on ecological transition, on energy transition. We want to work with governments for the development of renewable energy, the development of ecosystems on the circular economy. At COP27, the messages conveyed by the Orange group, through the director of the environment, is to reiterate to governments our commitments to the environment and our availability to support them in reducing their carbon footprint. We stand ready to work daily with countries to collectively achieve these commitments.
WAT: You talk regarding supporting the States. Concretely, what is it?
JMC: One of the big challenges for achieving our own environmental goals and for countries to achieve theirs is access to renewable energy. The second axis is the entire ecosystem on the circular economy.
Today, it is true that the regulations do not allow us to do exactly what we would like to do, which is to build and develop solar farms and benefit directly from this renewable energy. But by working hand in hand with countries, we are hopeful that we will be able to change these regulations and attract the necessary investments in African countries to multiply the deployment of solar farm projects, wind farms, wherever c ‘is possible.
“By working hand in hand with the countries, we are hopeful of changing these regulations and attracting the necessary investments in African countries to multiply the deployment of solar farm projects, wind farms, wherever it is. possible “.
The circular economy is the recycling of telephones and telecom equipment that we use on a daily basis. For renewable energy, as an operator and private industry, we can attract the capital needed to develop renewable energy in Africa. In Africa, there are no factories specializing in the reconditioning of telecom equipment and telephones for a new use of these devices, we wish to work with certain governments for the development of these factories on African soil. Today, telecom equipment and telephones are sent to Asia and Europe to be refurbished. We are sure that the development of this type of activity on African soil will obviously create jobs but will also contribute to the take-off of the circular economy and the reduction of activities involving the extraction of raw materials that are harmful to the planet.
WAT: Beyond telephones, which become electronic waste when they are obsolete, how does the telecom infrastructure that Orange deploys to provide its telecom services pollute?
JMC: Like all activities, industries, companies and individuals that we are, we need electricity. The infrastructures through which we provide services to our subscribers, too. Using non-renewable energies such as diesel to guarantee the continuity of our services in certain areas with poor access to electricity accentuates the impact of our infrastructures on the environment through carbon emissions. Renewable energy greatly reduces this carbon footprint. We are already working with our infrastructure and equipment suppliers so that they have, from their design, a strong commitment to limit their impact on the environment.
“In Africa, there are no factories specializing in the reconditioning of telecom equipment and telephones for a new use of these devices, we wish to work with certain governments for the development of these factories on African soil.”
Objectively, in Africa, the big carbon emission factor is the use of energy to power all our telecom towers, all our data centers, etc. This is why we place great emphasis on working with countries or governments to develop renewable energy. A few years ago, the number of generators multiplied at the foot of telecom towers. Little by little, we are deploying solar panels, clean energies, to replace them.
Digital is a great tool for the planet. We make conference calls, videoconferences and we are developing teleworking thanks to digital technology. With eco-responsible telecom infrastructures and equipment, we can greatly limit the impact we might have on the ecology and the climate.
WAT: Orange has set up a program called “Net zero carbon 2040”. What is that ?
JMC: Net zero carbon 2040 is Orange’s strong commitment to the climate issue. It means that we are committed to drastically reducing our carbon emissions through the use of renewable energies. We are aware that there will still remain a minor incompressible part of our carbon emissions. Not every activity can be completely clean. To offset these residual carbon emissions, we must commit today to solutions called carbon sinks, i.e. solutions that will capture CO2 that we ourselves are going to issue.
Today, we have already undertaken major works around carbon sinks in countries such as Senegal, Cameroon and Madagascar. We have made commitments to plant trees and protect the mangroves. We have signed a partnership with experts in the field. Orange is a telecom player and we rely on experts in the environmental field for all questions relating to this sector, in particular the protection and development of the mangrove which is a formidable CO sensor.2. It is through its actions with African populations that we are committed and that we will be able to keep our commitment to net zero carbon in 2040.
“By 2025, more than half of the energy used at group level must be renewable. It’s a big issue. »
In 2025, we have an important milestone. In 2025, more than half of the energy used at group level must be renewable. It’s a big issue. This is the reason why we continue to supply our sites with solar panels, solarize our data centers which are elements that consume a lot of electricity.
Today, in the area, we register more than 6,000 telecom sites equipped with solar panels. We will continue and accelerate this energy transition to the rest of our equipment. In countries like Guinea, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Jordan, more than half of the energy consumed by the grid comes from renewable energies that we produce ourselves. If possible, we want to develop solar fields and wind farms, inject this clean electricity into the electricity grid of the countries in which we operate in order to be able to use this clean electricity on all of our telecom towers. In addition to that, we have carbon footprint reduction commitments on what we call SCOPE 1 and 2. So the fuel and electricity we use. We plan to decrease their respective usage by 30% at the group level.
WAT: Orange works with telecom tower managers. How does the group reconcile this management of operational costs with its environmental commitments?
JMC: We work with tower managers (towercos) in five countries. On the other twelve markets we operate our own towers. When we operate our lathes ourselves, we call on experts to support us precisely in this transition. We call these experts Escos. These energy experts from the world of telecoms support us in the modernization of our energy production chains on our telecom towers, to solarize as much as possible, and to adopt the sizing that corresponds to our current and future needs. The three tower managers we work with in Africa have all made commitments on renewable energy by 2030, 2040 and 2050.
WAT: Beyond reducing the environmental impact of its commercial activity and carrying out direct actions in favor of the climate such as carbon sinks, how does Orange’s investments for the environment in Africa integrate the well- to be populations?
JMC: The impact on society is as important as the impact on the environment in the general sense of the term. Through all the direct activities in favor of the climate, such as the protection of the mangroves which meets our objective on the environment, Orange also aims to develop the entire surrounding ecosystem for the benefit of the populations. There will therefore be training, new professions around the mangroves since we know that they produce wood, and that derivative products will therefore be manufactured, exploited, sold: support is obviously included in this very important and fundamental project. . We have infrastructures, which are Orange Digital Centers (ODCs), which we deploy everywhere in the countries in Africa. We will raise public awareness of all these environmental issues through various activities such as coding competitions for young people on the subject of the environment. African populations are waiting for these commitments because they will be among the first to be affected by these climate changes, whether by drought in certain regions, fishing villages which are disappearing in Senegal, etc. These populations are beginning to see the impact of climate change today.
WAT: Can we consider Orange Energie as one of the elements of Orange’s action in favor of the environment?
Indeed. In Orange Energie, there are solar kits which are very emblematic but it’s not just that. Solar kits, by definition, are renewable energy. It is obviously something that is very strong both to bring the fundamental energy for schooling, the professional world, etc. There is also the mini-grid project, that is to say small solar farms that will supply one or two villages that do not have access to energy at all today.
“There is also the mini-grid project, that is to say small solar farms that will supply one or two villages that do not have access to energy at all today. »
Once once more, these are, by definition, renewable energies since it is solar fields that will be deployed. These are two examples that both provide essential services to populations, in particular in addition to responding to major environmental issues.
The subject of the environment is vast and Orange is fully committed because it is both fundamental for all of us but also for the development of Africa.
Interview conducted by Muriel Edjo