Telecoms industry fights to secure sustainable renewable energy

Author: Nur Athirah Mohd Shaharuddin

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 (Bernama) — The telecommunications industry is grappling with challenges in securing renewable energy (RE) supplies, mainly due to limited availability of sustainable, green energy sources, said Edotco Group Sdn Bhd Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mohamed Adlan Ahmad Tajudin.

He stressed that ensuring sufficient renewable energy is crucial to ensuring a smooth transition to a green economy.

He added that one of the main challenges in renewable energy supply is the lack of supporting infrastructure, noting that some South Asian countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, are struggling with power grid problems.

“Some of them have unstable power grid systems and in some areas there is no power grid at all,” he told Bernama earlier this week at the Forward Faster Now: Asia and Oceania Summit.

The Summit was organised by the United Nations Global Compact in partnership with 16 Global Compact national networks and country offices in the Asia and Oceania region.

While some countries offer mechanisms to ensure that energy drawn from the grid is renewable, its supply remains limited, Mohamed Adlan said.

In Malaysia, businesses can subscribe to Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), benefit from Feed-in Tariff (FIT) schemes or install solar panels under the net energy settlement mechanism.

“However, the supply of renewable energy is still limited for now and the principle of ‘first come, first served’ applies,” he said, adding that generating clean energy can be a costly undertaking, which could result in higher prices.

Given Malaysia’s sunny conditions, solar energy has become a key factor in the country’s energy transformation towards green energy, helping to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption.

“In some of our (overseas) markets where we operate, solarization has helped Edotco reduce fuel consumption by about 50 percent and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 49 percent annually, as well as lower our operating expenses,” he said.

During a high-level panel discussion at the opening of the two-day summit, which concluded on 6 August, Mohamed Adlan expressed Edotco’s commitment to working with regulators to promote RE policies.

He also highlighted that another challenge is the readiness of customers to adopt sustainable energy, emphasizing the importance of close cooperation and transparent communication to achieve successful results.

“Throughout the process, it is extremely important to work closely with our clients, ensuring transparency and open discussions on all topics,” he added.

Founded in 2012, EDOTCO Group is the first regional and integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company in Asia, offering comprehensive solutions in the tower services sector, from tower leasing, custom construction, power and transmission to operations and maintenance.

The Group operates and manages a regional portfolio of over 58,000 towers in Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Philippines, Myanmar and Laos.

— BERNAMA

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