Nxtra by Airtel joins the RE100 initiative for sustainability

Nxtra by Airtel, one of the largest data centre companies in India, has joined the global RE100, a global corporate renewable energy initiative. Led by the Climate Group, RE100 aims to accelerate the transition towards zero-emission networks at scale. It was created in partnership with the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).

Nxtra by Airtel has 12 large and 120 edge data centers across India. In a post on LinkedIn, the company said that the initiative demonstrates its commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2031 and that it is integrating renewable energy sources and sustainable practices in its data centers, accelerating the transition to zero-emission networks and implementing practices aimed at reducing carbon footprint.​

“We are an environmentally responsible brand and are increasingly adopting alternative, clean energy sources. We are on track to achieve our net zero emissions targets by 2031 and are happy to be part of the RE100 initiative with a commitment to 100% renewable energy,” said Ashish Arora, CEO – Nxtra by Airtel.

“Even though data centers are very energy-intensive, they are overlooked because of their emissions. It is inspiring to see Nxtra taking the lead in adopting best practices to reduce its carbon footprint,” said Atul Mudaliar, Director of Systems Change for India at Climate Group.

Nxtra said it has contracted 422,000 MWh of renewable energy to date. In the 2023-2024 financial year, the data centre company said it saved almost 156,595 tCO2e of emissions by sourcing renewable energy through power purchase agreements (PPAs) and its own rooftop solar plants.

“With this, Nxtra becomes the only data center organization in India to have highlighted its commitment to environmental sustainability and its goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2031,” the data center operator said in a statement.