MTN goes solar at SA head office

MTN South Africa is over 50% done with phase one of a solar renewable energy project at its head office in Johannesburg, South Africa, with aims to be less reliant on the local strained energy grid.

MTN has switched on 5,418 solar panels out of the planned 9,000. This phased approach will inject 700kW into the office's micro grid, making the head office 40% less reliant on the municipal grid. MTN said the aim is to inject a total of 1800kW by the end of February 2024, with the battery storage facility set to be installed by the end of March 2024.

The focus on renewable energy is due to an energy crisis in South Africa with extensive blackouts or "load shedding" over the past few years.

Load shedding has been happening intermittently in SA since November 2007 and is the deliberate shutdown of electric power by state-owned power utility Eskom in parts of the power distribution system when capacity is strained.

Different suburbs are turned off at different times – for two to four hours at a time – to try to manage the overall power supply in the country.

In March 2023, MTN said it would invest US$84.3 million in South Africa to help mitigate ongoing power blackouts in the country and plans to get its base stations completely off grid in the future.

It also launched a nationwide program aimed at warding off the negative impact and frustration caused by power cuts, theft and vandalism.

MTN said it has switched on 5,418 solar panels out of the planned 9,000 as part of its solar renewable energy project at its head office in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Source: MTN SA)

That was after MTN Group reported that blackouts in SA had impacted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) by $38 million for the financial year ended December 31, 2022.

MTN becoming an Independent Power Producer

The renewable energy project in Johannesburg is part of its plans to become a standalone Independent Power Producer (IPP), deploying five different generation technologies in a singular plant at the office.

In 2023, MTN initiated the phase one of its solar renewable energy project, transforming the head office into a Solar Park with 4.9MW of Solar PV and 2MW of Battery Energy.

"This strategic move not only positioned MTN as a significant IPP but also promised substantial annual energy consumption savings of 9,300,000 kWh and a reduction in CO2 emissions by 9,672 tons," the operator said.

MTN SA CEO Charles Molapisi. (Source: MTN SA)

The head office now has multiple energy sources, including municipal/Eskom grid, gas generators, diesel generators, Solar PV, and a Battery Energy Storage System with intelligent controllers enabling dynamic energy management.

"MTN SA set its sights on achieving Net Zero emissions by 2040, a decade ahead of industry objectives. The Solar Park, a 4.9MW solar embedded generation plant, and the groundbreaking Island Mode Project, which will see MTN leveraging a combination of gas, solar, battery and diesel technologies working in cohesion to create a micro grid are pivotal in positioning MTN to go off the grid during load shedding," said MTN South Africa CEO Charles Molapisi.

Anticipated completion of the Island Mode Project is set for April 2024, combining solar, battery storage, gas trigeneration, concentrated solar power and diesel generators.

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*Top image is of MTN's solar renewable energy project at its head office in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Source: MTN SA.)