British American Tobacco (BAT) Nigeria investing in 1MW solar system

British American Tobacco (BAT) Nigeria, the subsidiary of global cigarette manufacturing giant, BAT, has announced that it is investing in a 1 megawatt (MW) solar energy system to power its Ibadan factory. The company announced the project on World Environment Day last week.

The solar project by BAT Nigeria is in alignment with BAT’s climate goal where it targets to halve its global emissions by 2030, and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company announced that it will invest about £1 million over the next two years on the project.

“The investment we are making in renewable solar energy in Nigeria aligns with our commitment captured aptly in our purpose to build A Better Tomorrow™ and is in line with our ESG target of being Carbon Neutral in scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030,” said Yarub Al-Bahrani, Area Director, BAT West and Central Africa.

“BAT Nigeria’s Sustainability Agenda is integral to our Evolved Group Strategy and reflects our commitment to the principal focus area of reducing the health impact of our business. This is underpinned by excellence across our other Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) priorities. We are committed to reducing our climate impact, taking care of biodiversity, and rethinking our means of consumption,” Al-Bahrani added.

BAT’s solar energy plant will consist of  1,900 solar panels. Once completed, the solar power system will generate around 1,400,000 KWh of electricity annually, which amounts to about 6% of the Ibadan Factory’s electricity requirements. 

The solar energy facility will also reduce the company’s carbon emissions by 992 tons annually, taking the company closer to its climate neutrality ambitions.