Spain and Germany
News

Telefónica stepped up sustainability efforts in 2022

Bnamericas
Telefónica stepped up sustainability efforts in 2022

Spanish group Telefónica invested 3.3% of its capex in activities related to reducing the environmental impact of its operations around the world in 2022.

That is equivalent to a total of 275mn euros (US$305mn) of an annual capex of 8.27bn euros.

The company's latest sustainability report states that the company spent 50mn euros on environmentally sustainable activities last year, including digital solutions and telecommunications networks that improve energy efficiency (42mn euros).

It also invested 225mn euros in other measures that could contribute to mitigating environmental impacts, but which are not in line with the new European Union regulations for sustainability reporting. These include investments related to cloud services, fleet management, acquisition and ownership of buildings, and energy savings, among others.

Telefónica has set itself the goal of reaching net zero emissions in 2030, including in its value chain. As intermediate objectives, the company planned to reduce scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions by 80% in 2022 compared with 2015 and cut scope 3 CO2 emissions by 56% by 2026. 

According to the report, in the seven years since 2015, scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions were reduced by 45%.

By 2030, the Spanish company also plans to consume 100% renewable electricity globally. At the same time, by 2030, the company intends to be a zero-waste company through ecodesign, purchasing with circular criteria, reuse and recycling.

In initiatives related to the management of the network throughout its life cycle to control risks and environmental impacts, the company invested 19mn euros, a figure similar to that disbursed in 2021.

In 2022, 128 energy efficiency and management initiatives were carried out in Telefónica's networks and offices, achieving savings of 408GWh. Total energy consumption was 6,106GWh, with 95% of that in electricity and 5% in fuel.

Some 82.3% of the electricity consumed by Telefónica in its own facilities is renewable, compared with 79.4% registered in 2021.

In Brazil, the company installed 48 new renewable energy plants of a total of 85 planned that will generate more than 700GWh per year for operations.

On the other hand, thanks to the extension of guarantee of origin programs, countries such as Argentina and Ecuador certified 7% and 30% of their electricity consumption in their own facilities as renewable for the first time, while Colombia increased this percentage to 87%.

Chile, Brazil and Peru are so far the only three operations in Latin America that have achieved 100% renewable electricity for the group.

The company has 485 base stations with self-generation of electricity, both for its fixed and mobile networks. In Chile, the company installed 23 hybrid self-generation systems, estimating savings of close to 60,000l/y of fuel.

In Spain and Colombia, the company signed agreements for the transfer of space on roofs for the installation of solar panels, so that electricity is self-consumed at its own sites at a price lower than the commercial rate. In Colombia, 12 such facilities will generate approximately 1.4GWh.

Likewise, the group's circular economy strategy made it possible to reuse 229,907 pieces of network equipment and recycle 98% of its waste in 2022.

Subscribe to the leading business intelligence platform in Latin America with different tools for Providers, Contractors, Operators, Government, Legal, Financial and Insurance industries.

News in: ICT (Spain)

World’s largest telecoms event canceled due to coronavirus crisis

World’s largest telecoms event canceled due to coronavirus crisis

The cancellation of the World Mobile Congress was confirmed by event organizers on Wednesday as some the world’s largest telecom operators and supp...

The dos and don'ts of designing a smart city

The dos and don'ts of designing a smart city

Íñigo de la Serna, former mayor of Spanish city Santander, explains what he learned from his 10 years leading one of the most talked about smart ci...

Subscribe to Latin America’s most trusted business intelligence platform.

Other projects in: ICT

Get critical information about thousands of ICT projects in Latin America: what stages they're in, capex, related companies, contacts and more.

Other companies in: ICT (Spain)

Get critical information about thousands of ICT companies in Latin America: their projects, contacts, shareholders, related news and more.

  • Company: Grupo San José S.A.  (Grupo San José)
  • Spanish diversified global company Grupo San José has four major business units: construction, energy and environment, concessions and services, and GSJ Solutions, focused on co...
  • Company: Grupo Softland  (Softland)
  • Grupo Softland is a Spanish administration software provider for Latin American companies. It engages in the development, implementation and maintenance of a range of software s...