MTN Nigeria says it invested N825.7 million in solar deployment and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in the first nine months of 2026 to reduce its reliance on conventional energy sources.
The company said the investment was part of a broader energy transition programme, which also included renewable energy installations at 24 locations, with a total capacity of 4.4 megawatts.
The details were contained in MTN’s unaudited financial statements and interim sustainability disclosures for the nine months ended Sept. 30, obtained by reporters in Benin on Monday.
The document showed that MTN also transitioned nine locations to compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered independent power plants or energy-as-a-service supply during the period.
Under its fleet electrification programme, the company deployed 13 electric vehicles, 80 hybrid vehicles and six CNG-powered vehicles, as well as five EV charging points.
MTN said its energy-efficiency and transition measures helped it avoid an estimated N8.3 billion in diesel expenditure during the nine-month period.
Despite the investments, renewable energy accounted for only 1.84 per cent of MTN’s total energy consumption during the period, while grid electricity accounted for 11.84 per cent.
The company’s total energy consumption stood at 811,579 gigajoules during the nine months.
MTN’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions stood at 87,377 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, comprising 42,470 tonnes from direct operations and 44,907 tonnes from purchased electricity.
The company reported that its emissions intensity per subscriber fell to 0.00092 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, from 0.00122 tonnes in its 2024 baseline.
The disclosures also showed that MTN spent N2.3 billion on high-efficiency cooling units and inverter solutions to address heat-related operational risks affecting its infrastructure.
Another N7 billion was invested in information technology (IT) and network security infrastructure, while N22.8 billion was recorded as capitalised IT and network security software costs.
MTN said its energy transition efforts were partly driven by the need to manage operating costs and strengthen the resilience of its telecommunications infrastructure amid rising energy costs.
According to the report, the company’s operating expenses increased by 8.5 per cent during the nine-month period, while service revenue grew by 23.7 per cent to N4.59 trillion.
The company said energy-efficiency measures and other cost-management initiatives helped contain the impact of higher diesel-linked tower costs.
The sustainability disclosures noted that Scope 3 emissions figures for the nine-month period were not presented because the available data had not been fully validated.
The company said its most recently reported Scope 3 emissions figure remained 429,962 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent for 2025, pending completion of its annual measurement process for 2026.
MTN also said the interim sustainability information had not undergone external assurance, although selected sustainability indicators would be subject to independent limited assurance in its 2026 annual disclosures.
The company said it would continue to prioritise energy efficiency, renewable energy deployment and other measures to strengthen operational resilience.
