L-R: Matthieu Seguin, Managing Director, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Ltd.; Mrs Oluwatoyin Agbenla, Federal Controller of Environment in Lagos State Federal Ministry of Environment; Ikechukwu Ekeleme, NBC Ikeja Plant Manager and Ekuma Eze, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Director, NBC, during the media tour held recently at NBC Ikeja Plant to showcase NBC’s renewable energy investments across its manufacturing plants.
In line with a commitment to achieve its target of Net Zero emissions by 2040, Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd., (NBC), the leading consumer packaged goods company and strategic bottling partner of The Coca-Cola Company in Nigeria, has unveiled its roadmap to renewable energy transition in its manufacturing operations.
The move is expected to bolster its solid credentials in pioneering sustainable manufacturing in Nigeria and comes on the heels of a series of steady investments the company has made towards sustainable manufacturing.
Speaking on Wednesday during a media tour of its Ikeja plant, Managing Director of NBC, Matthieu Seguin, disclosed that the Company has made significant investments in optimising its energy mix to incorporate more renewable energy sources
“As a business, we have made an uncompromising commitment to minimize our environmental footprint whilst enriching the communities where we operate . It is clear that one of the major challenges facing sustainable manufacturing is Carbon emissions from non-renewable energy sources. We have taken this challenge heads on and over the years, we have invested in solutions which deliver significant advancements in energy use reduction, water use reduction, emissions reduction, and waste generation reduction.
From 2020, NBC commenced the process of migrating its manufacturing plants to solar energy sources. Today, of the eight NBC manufacturing plants in Nigeria, the Challawa (Kano), Asejire (Oyo), Maiduguri and Abuja plants have adopted the innovation. According to Seguin, ”today, we can celebrate the fact that 50% of our manufacturing plants are now powered in part by solar energy from photovoltaic cells which deliver up to 3,640-Kilowatt peak power output (KWp) to the facilities. The power delivered by these installations can power over 2,100 three-bedroom homes ”
The hybrid power set up in these NBC plants allow them to substitute the national power grid and generator backups to the extent of available solar generated power, thereby reducing the consumption of power from less environmentally friendly sources.
With further installations expected to continue through this year 2022, to ensure even more sustainable growth across its ecosystem, NBC will be implementing solar power solutions in its Ikeja, Benin, Owerri and Port Harcourt plants; bringing its total installed capacity to 15,947 KWp from solar energy alone which is equivalent to saving over 167,000 trees.
The existing solar power installations translate to an annual carbon footprint reduction of over 3,600 tons, with the capacity for expansion in the future. Beyond the direct impact on reduced emissions, the project also supported 300 jobs with an additional 480 jobs forecasted to be created across the value chain this year.
Federal Controller of Environment in Lagos State, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Agbenla, commended NBC for leading the charge to strengthen sustainable manufacturing in the country
“From the Federal Ministry of Environment perspective, sustainable manufacturing is one that prioritises the present generation without mortgaging their future. These practices are beneficial to our climate. We are glad to be part of these innovations, and we want to see the trend continue across all your plants. The shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy is a welcome development for us, and it’s a win for the environment.”
The Company has also invested heavily in Combined Heat and Power Plants (CHP) in five of its manufacturing plants. The CHPs are an energy efficient technology that significantly reduces carbon footprint across its operations, by capturing and repurposing gas and heat emissions from gas generators as a secondary energy source. The six CHP plants in NBC Port-Harcourt, Ikeja, Benin, Owerri and Asejire Plants, generate 25.5Mw of power delivering 125,267MWh of electrical energy, including 68,267MWh as steam energy, as a bye product. Yearly, these plants reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 71,883 Tons, equivalent to over three million trees saved. The business invests over 1.7 billion naira in running the six CHPs annually.
The Company also announced it has embarked on a fleet conversion project trial, in which Diesel-powered trucks are replaced with CNG powered trucks. With ten of such trucks already injected into its fleet, the initiative has resulted in cumulative CO2 emission savings of 17 Tons every month.
Country Logistics Director, Augustine Odumu said the company has started transitioning its diesel-powered forklifts to models which are powered by electricity, contributing further to its CO2 emissions savings as a business. 109 forklifts have transitioned, with a plan for all two hundred forklifts used in the business to transition by the end of this year, 2022.
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