PARIS, France, January 17, 2022/ — The GOS (Groupement Orange Services) is a resource-pooling entity for the 18 Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA) subsidiaries (www.Orange.com), which provides pooled hosting and infrastructure operation services, service platforms and IT to all the subsidiaries.
The data center was built in 2016 in Grand Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire, on a site covering 16,600 m². It hosts IT and telecommunication equipment, which support the services provided by the GOS to all OMEA subsidiaries.
The GOS is one of the components of the Orange data center network in Africa, which has Uptime Institute Tier 3 certification design, consolidating Orange’s position as a key player in the sub-region’s economic ecosystem.
It helps to advance digital equality by supporting States to develop agricultural, educational, and healthcare services and fosters entrepreneurship and local innovation.
In December 2021, Orange signed an EaaS (Energy as a Service) contract with Engie to convert the GOS to solar power by installing a solar plant on rooftops and solar carports, for a total installed capacity of 355 kWp, to reduce its environmental footprint, minimize the share of commercial electricity from non-renewable sources and avoid using fuel generators (fossil energy that emits CO2). The commissioning is scheduled for the second half of 2022.
This plant will be made up of 784 latest-generation photovoltaic cells and will provide the data center with an estimated 527 MWh/year of renewable energy. Its architecture was designed to work 7 days a week in self-consumption mode, i.e. the data center will directly use the energy as it is produced by the Sun (during the day). This will cover close to 60% of the data center’s daytime (7 am – 6 pm) consumption.
The initiative to convert the GOS to solar power is consistent with the plan adopted by the Government of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, which aims to make the country the sub-region’s energy hub by 2030 with 42% of renewables in the energy mix (see National Renewable Energy Action Plan – 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 speed up our solar projects in order to achieve net-zero carbon by 2040.
In the rest of Africa and the Middle East we have already implemented several initiatives, as equipping 5,400 telecoms sites by solar panels and building solar farms in Jordan and Mali. We intend to go further.”
Armand Seya, CEO of ENGIE Services West Africa says: “Engie Africa is active in electricity production, energy services, and decentralized solutions for off-grid customers across the continent. We are proud to support the GOS (Groupement Orange Services) in its energy transition having ensured the multi-technical maintenance of the Data Center since 2019 and now with the implementation of this solar plant.”
About Orange Africa and Middle East:
Orange is present in 18 countries in Africa and the Middle East, and has around 130 million customers as at September 30, 2021. With €5.8 billion in turnover in 2020, Orange MEA is the Group’s main growth region.
Orange Money, with its mobile-based money transfer and financial services offer is available in 17 countries and has 50 million customers. Orange, a multi-service operator, benchmark partner of the digital transformation, provides 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 sales of 42.3 billion euros in 2020 and 137,000 employees worldwide at September 30, 2021, including 79,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 266 million customers worldwide at 30 September 2019, including 222 million mobile customers and 22 million fixed broadband customers. The Group operates in 26 countries. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the brand Orange Business Services.
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 business model as an operator. While stepping up activity in growing areas and placing the focus of its innovation model on data and AI, the Group intends to position itself as an attractive and responsible employer, in line with emerging businesses.
Orange is listed on the 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 benchmark 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 turnover: 60.1 billion euros. The Group is listed on the Paris and Brussels (ENGI) stock exchanges and is represented in the main financial indices (CAC 40, DJ Euro Stoxx 50, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, MSCI Europe) and extra-financial indices (DJSI World, DJSI Europe and Euronext Vigeo Eiris – World 120, Eurozone 120, Europe 120, France 20, Gouvernance du CAC 40).
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are registered trademarks belonging to Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.
