MTN South Africa plans to install green-energy solutions at its head office as it moves to meet its own net-zero targets by 2040.

The operator, whose head office is located on the MTN Group campus in Fairland, west of Johannesburg, said on Friday that it plans a four-phase green energy programme.

The company has issued a request for proposals that will see its headquarters become a “completely green office”.

“Phase 1 involves the procurement of providers for alternative energy rooftops and solar carparks, and this forms part of the company’s broader Project Zero initiative, which explores all forms of renewable energy on a large and smaller scale.”

The initiative will help MTN deal with Eskom’s load shedding while also addressing a “broad array of immediate climate and energy challenges”, CEO Charles Molapisi said in a statement.

MTN’s longer-term net-zero energy project will be implemented in four phases:

Phase 1 facility: MTN’s 14th Avenue campus rooftop and solar carports in car parks
Phase 2 facility: Ground-mounted solar on vacant land adjacent to the 14th Avenue campus
Phase 3: Rooftop and ground solar at various other MTN facilities
Phase 4: Off-site power wheeling from renewable energy providers

The preferred bidder for phase 1 should be announced in December.

“The capacity of the facility will be determined by bidders after having considered the availability of rooftop and carpark areas and its suitability for the purposes of extracting maximum capacity. However, it is clear based on current expectations that as we move through the phases, this should be more than enough to move to complete energy self-sufficiency of our building and surrounds, and assist greatly in our move to embedding alternative energy solutions into everything we do,” said Molapisi.