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LONDON, England, 2004-10-20 (Refocus Weekly) A British telephone company will make the largest purchase of green power in the world.
BT will purchase electricity generated from wind turbines, solar panels, wave energy, hydroelectric facilities and combined heat & power sites. Its three-year contracts with npower and British Gas are worth millions of pounds, and will provide 6,500 telephone exchanges, satellite earth stations and offices with green power.
“Energy efficiency is a key element of our purchasing strategy and sustainability is at the heart of our business,” says Paul Reynolds. “We are aiming both to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions to the atmosphere, and we believe we will achieve both aims with these new contracts. The contracts represent a good deal for BT and for the environment in which we all live and work.”
The purchase of 1 TWh of electricity from renewables and 1.1 TWh of low-carbon fuel-efficient energy from CHP will reduce BT's CO2 emissions by 325,000 tonnes a year, equivalent to 50,000 homes or 100,000 cars. BT has already reduced its energy related CO2 emissions by 80% since 1991 through energy management and efficiency, investing in energy efficient plant and equipment, reducing waste and buying green power.
The company says CHP is a source of green power because the efficiency of generating electricity and heat together can increase overall efficiency of fuel use to 75% compared with 40% for conventional generation alone.
“BT's initiative is globally significant and sends out a message that the purchase of green electricity is no longer a niche market - it has now gone mainstream,” says Steve Howard of The Climate Group, a non-profit organization that promotes GHG reductions. “BT is leading the way in showing that good business, cost savings and protecting the climate all go hand in hand.”
“The actions of leading companies such as BT are living proof that significant cuts in greenhouse gas emissions need not come at the cost of economic growth,” says prime minister Tony Blair. The British government wants to reduce GHG emissions by 20% by 2010 compared with 1990, higher than required under the Kyoto Protocol.
BT says it will continue to invest in energy efficiency in its new network and power systems, and is looking at renewable technology within its buildings and network. Last year, BT Group had revenue of £18.5 billion.
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