Globe powering 3,000+ cell sites with RE

Globe scales up its net-zero ambition by being the first telco and digital service provider in the Philippines to shift a significant number of its cell sites to 100 percent renewable energy (RE).

The switching of more than 3,000 Globe cell sites and other low-energy utilization facilities in Metro Manila and Region IV-A to RE is expected to be completed no later than 2028, the telco said in a press statement.

The move is in line with its adoption of the Retail Aggregation Program (RAP). Initiated by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), RAP allows a single owner or business franchise to aggregate its electricity-consuming facilities within a distribution utility’s franchise area, provided their combined peak demand over the past three months averages at least 500 kilowatts. The program also enables them to directly negotiate with licensed retail electricity suppliers (RES), such as ACEN. Consequently, RAP empowers consumers to negotiate with and select RES that offers their preferred supply source, such as RE for Globe.

With RAP, Globe goes beyond utilizing the Green Energy Option and Retail Competition and Open Access to source RE, which Globe also pioneered in the industry in 2019.

RAP enables Globe’s broader efforts to decarbonize its operations and lower its overall environmental impact. It expects to avoid an estimated 5.5 million kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions per year, while providing 80 million kilowatt-hours of electricity sourced from RE annually.

This latest effort follows Globe’s ongoing use of RE across 33 high energy-utilization facilities, 22 of which are supported by Power Purchase Agreements with ACEN.

“We are grateful to the DoE (Department of Energy) for leading the renewable energy transition and for ERC for enabling us to transition our smaller sites. With RAP, we are able to address the urgent need to reduce emissions at scale. By expanding our sourcing of renewable energy to thousands of additional sites, we are taking deliberate steps toward our Net Zero goals and proving that clean energy is not only viable but necessary across all operational levels,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe’s chief sustainability and corporate communications officer.

Irene Maranan, senior vice president and head for communications and sustainability at ACEN, said, “This collaboration with Globe reflects the strength of synergies across the Ayala group in driving meaningful climate action. By enabling the shift of over 3,000 sites to renewable energy, we are not only accelerating Globe’s Scope 2 emissions reduction, but also advancing our collective net zero ambition as a group.”

The partnership between Globe and ACEN supports the DoE’s goal of substantially increasing the share of renewables in the country’s energy mix to 35 percent by 2030 and to 50 percent by 2040.

Globe’s efforts were recently cited in Global System for Mobile Communications Association’s “Mobile Net Zero: State of the Industry on Climate Action 2025” report, which featured the company’s sourcing of electricity from RE sources for both on-grid and off-grid sites.

Through this latest initiative, Globe operationalizes its climate action strategy by sourcing RE across more parts of its network infrastructure, as it seeks to maintain its position as the country’s most sustainability-driven network.