Section | ENVIRONMENT | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
TOPIC | ||||
OTE GROUP |
||||
Ambitious Goals and Actions to Address Climate Change | ||||
Recognizing that climate change affects life on the planet but also the entire range of economic activities, OTE Group takes an active role in dealing with it and in the transition to a zero-carbon economy, through the adoption of ambitious goals. |
||||
Tackling climate change addresses all the main stakeholder groups that have been identified by the OTE Group and are as follows:
|
||||
|
||||
The goals were updated in 2021 and became more ambitious as follows:
Includes emissions from natural gas, diesel and petrol consumption as well as emissions from electricity consumption.
In order for OTE Group to achieve its zero carbon footprint, it focuses, among other things, on:
Regarding the use of renewable energy sources, OTE Group has already achieved 100% electricity consumption coverage since 2020. The management of energy consumption, -especially in the telecommunications network and equipment- is a big challenge, not only for the next year but also in the long term and for this reason the OTE Group has set priorities for the improvement of energy efficiency concerning:
Measures to increase energy efficiency in telecommunications networks include, among others, the deactivation and uninstallation of telecommunications equipment that is not used in the fixed line network, the optimization of the operating temperature of air conditioning units, the replacement of equipment with new more efficient ones, the deactivation of levels capacity during periods of low traffic. Emphasis is also placed on electric generators, especially those that cover the needs of autonomous base stations (24-hour operation). Their connection to the electrical grid or their conversion to hybrid mode using RES is considered, while an annual maintenance program is implemented.
There are initiatives to improve the efficiency of data centers. Included are measures aimed at the efficient operation of IT equipment (system integration, virtualization, rack orientation, etc.) but also the infrastructures (UPS, heating, air conditioning, ventilation systems, cabling, etc.) that are necessary for its operation. In 2021, average data center performance (as reflected in Power Usage Efficiency, PUE) improved by 7.7% compared to 2017. Efforts in this direction are ongoing, as this will offset the ever-increasing use of networks. As far as buildings are concerned, emphasis is placed on the environmentally certified radical renovation of buildings important to the Group's operation. So far, 3 buildings have already received LEED GOLD level certification.
The aim is to achieve, taking into account the maturity of the market and technology, an ecological fleet of vehicles, with the possibility of charging the batteries of the vehicles on a daily basis. In this context, it is planned to replace more than 300 company vehicles with models of PHEV technology. By the end of 2021, 123 PHEV vehicles have already been integrated into the fleet. At the same time, a charging network is being developed at the facilities of the OTE Group, so that all vehicles can be charged, while provision is made for additional parking spaces for vehicle charging for visitors to the Group's facilities. |
||||
|
||||
The participation of the Group's employees is a basic condition for the systematic monitoring of energy consumption and the resulting emissions, as well as for the planning and effective implementation of energy saving and emission reduction measures. |
||||
Greece |
||||
|
||||
Indicative benefits:
ICT Products and Services: Holding the temperature rise well below 2°C (Paris Agreement on Climate Change, December 2015), requires significant reductions in global emissions of 40-70% by 2050 compared to 2010 emissions. In this context, exploiting the potential of ICT is becoming imperative. According to GeSI Digital with Purpose's recent study, leveraging ICT sector products and services can lead to emissions reductions of 7 times the sector's carbon footprint, in a baseline scenario. This corresponds to a potential of 668 Mt CO2 eq in 2030 (about 1.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions). Fiber optic networks and 5G technologies are expected to make a decisive contribution to this process of digital transformation. OTE Group recognizes the catalytic role of ICT in dealing with climate change and the opportunities created for its further development, and seeks to design related services. |