BAI Communications Australia has announced a target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 as part of its Towards Carbon Neutral (TCN) program.
BAI’s TCN will see the communications infrastructure provider invest $20 million over five years to achieve a 65% reduction in its unlimited scope 1 and 2 emissions from the 2010 baseline and net-zero emissions by 2040 reach.
BAI has already invested in energy-efficient assets and green energy solutions, putting the company on a path to net zero.
This includes replacing high-performance digital television (DTV) channels with more efficient ones and introducing solar-powered sites into the company’s broadcast network.
In addition, BAI dismantled several broadcasting services, including analog television, benefiting its efforts.
“As a company with an extensive infrastructure network across Australia, we are committed to continuous improvement in managing our energy consumption and reducing consumption,” said Peter Lambourne, CEO of BAI Communications Australia.
“We are making solid progress and have already achieved a 55.8% reduction in emissions since 2010 compared to 164,005 tons of CO2e.
“Our Towards Carbon Neutral program significantly extends this long-standing commitment to taking meaningful action, and we believe our ability to move forward and demonstrate has set us on the right path to achieving our new ambition.”
BAI notes that communications networks are critical to the country. Therefore, the TCN program aims to reduce emissions from their heavy reliance on electricity to reliable energy transmission locations.
The program will further reduce emissions from FY2023 with a series of initiatives designed to replace aging assets with energy-efficient alternatives and complement them with green energy at select locations owned and operated by BAI.
Photovoltaic (PV) installation
This initiative will be a major work program to install solar panels at 36 sites and batteries at four locations.
The program will see four major workflows to replace obsolete FM antennas with dual aperture ones.
At three locations, obsolete equipment is also replaced with more energy-efficient options.
“We have taken our medium-term target for 2030 and extended our long-term planning, developing a credible roadmap to support our ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2040,” said Kevin Pike, CEO of real estate, energy, and sustainability from BAI Communications Australia. †
“By transitioning our business to net zero, BAI will continue delivering reliable services to benefit Australian communities and our customers.”
While the TCN plan currently includes carbon offsetting to support achieving net-zero emissions by 2040, BAI expects to review this with the flexibility to explore and add incremental energy-saving initiatives to the plan.
“Towards Carbon Neutral is an investment in the future. It signals BAI’s commitment to responsibly future-proof Australia’s vital communications infrastructure and take demonstrable long-term actions to transition our network to a carbon-free future,” adds Lambourne.