Orange and Engie convert direct current into solar energy
Contribute to reduce the carbon footprint in Ivory Coast
Orange press release
January 17, 2022
PARIS, France – The GOS (Groupement Orange Services) is an entity pooling the resources of the 18 subsidiaries of Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA) (www.Orange.com), which provides shared hosting and operation of infrastructure, service and IT platforms at all subsidiaries. The data center was built in 2016 in Grand Bassam in Côte d’Ivoire on a 16,600 m² site. It houses IT and telecommunications equipment, which supports the services provided by GOS to all OMEA subsidiaries.
The GOS is one of the components of Orange’s data center network in Africa, the design of which is Uptime Institute Tier 3 certified, consolidating Orange’s position as a key player in the economic ecosystem of the sub -region. It contributes to advancing digital equality by supporting States in the development of agricultural, educational and health services and promotes entrepreneurship and local innovation.
In December 2021, Orange signed an EaaS (Energy as a Service) contract with Engie to convert the GOS to solar by installing a solar power plant on rooftops and solar carports, for a total installed capacity of 355 kWp, in order to reduce its environmental footprint, minimize the share of commercial electricity of non-renewable origin and avoid using fuel oil generators (fossil energy emitting CO2). Commissioning is scheduled for the second half of 2022.
This plant will consist of 784 latest-generation photovoltaic cells and will supply the data center with around 527 MWh/year of renewable energy. Its architecture was designed to operate 7 days a week in self-consumption mode, ie the data center will directly use the energy as it is produced by the Sun (during the day). This will cover almost 60% of the daytime consumption (7 a.m. – 6 p.m.) of the data center.
The initiative to convert GOS to solar is part of the plan adopted by the Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire which aims to make the country the energy hub of the sub-region by 2030 with 42% of renewable energies in the energy mix (see National action plan for renewable energies – PANER 2016-2020/2030).
Alioune Ndiaye, Chairman and CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa says: “This project is a first in West Africa for Orange in terms of its size and scope and it perfectly illustrates our ambition to accelerate our solar projects in order to reach zero carbon by 2040. In the rest of the Africa and the Middle East, we have already implemented several initiatives, such as equipping 5,400 telecom sites with solar panels and building solar farms in Jordan and Mali. We intend to go further.
Armand Seya, CEO of ENGIE Services West Africa states: “Engie Africa is active in power generation, energy services and decentralized solutions for off-grid customers across the continent. We are proud to support the GOS (Orange Services Group) in its energy transition after having provided multi-technical maintenance of the Data Center since 2019 and now with the installation of this solar power plant.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Orange.
Orange press contacts:
Khadija Komara
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +33 6 76 45 96 18
Ibtissame Nafii
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +33 6 37 38 60 50
ENGIE CI Services press contact:
Elohim Akobe
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: +225 01 72 65 87 59
About Orange Africa and Middle East:
Orange is present in 18 countries in Africa and the Middle East and has approximately 130 million customers as of September 30, 2021. With 5.8 billion euros in revenue in 2020, Orange MEA is the main growth area of the group. Orange Money, with its mobile money transfer and financial services offer, is available in 17 countries and has 50 million customers. Orange, a multi-service operator and leading partner in digital transformation, brings its expertise to support the development of new digital services in Africa and the Middle East.
About Orange:
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with revenue of 42.3 billion euros in 2020 and 137,000 employees worldwide as of September 30, 2021, including 79,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 266 million customers worldwide as of September 30, 2019, including 222 million mobile customers and 22 million fixed broadband customers. The Group is present in 26 countries. Orange is also one of the world’s leading providers of IT and telecommunications services to multinational companies, under the Orange Business Services brand. In December 2019, the Group presented its new strategic plan entitled “Engage 2025”. Focused on social and environmental responsibility, the plan aims to reinvent the Group’s economic model as an operator. While intensifying its activity in growth areas and focusing its innovation model on data and AI, the Group intends to position itself as an attractive and responsible employer, in line with emerging professions.
Orange is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).
For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.Orange.com, www.Orange-business.com, or follow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3rt4l1x.
About ENGIE:
Our group is a world reference in low-carbon energies and services. Our raison d’être is to act to accelerate the transition to a carbon-neutral world, thanks to the reduction of energy consumption and even more environmentally friendly solutions, reconciling economic performance and positive impact on people. and the planet. We rely on our key businesses (gas, renewable energies, services) to offer competitive solutions to our customers. With our 170,000 employees, our customers, partners and stakeholders, we are a community of Imaginative Builders, committed every day to more harmonious progress. 2019 revenue: €60.1 billion. The Group is listed on the Paris and Brussels stock exchanges (ENGI) and is represented in the main financial (CAC 40, DJ Euro Stoxx 50, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, MSCI Europe) and non-financial (DJSI World, DJSI Europe and Euronext Vigeo Eiris – World 120, Eurozone 120, Europe 120, France 20, CAC 40 governance).
Orange and any other Orange product or service name included herein are registered trademarks owned by Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.
