KCOM Net Zero goals driven by fibre

Mon, 27/02/2023 - 14:38
KCOM

KCOM has revealed a raft of green initiatives to reach Net Zero carbon emissions by 2040, ten years ahead of the UK Government target.

Driving the goal is KCOM’s £17m programme to replace its legacy copper landline network with fibre.

The two-year project will start transferring homes and businesses from copper to fibre in Beverley in April. It will then move on to migrate other areas of Hull and East Yorkshire in the KCOM network.

The upgrade will reduce KCOM’s electricity usage by 35% and cut its carbon emissions by a quarter.

The provider is also partnering with Yorkshire-based family business Make It Wild, which will offset 1,500 Tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent greenhouse gases by planting trees in Yorkshire nature reserves.

Other initiatives include working with urban mining company N2S to reclaim precious rare earth metals such as copper, platinum and gold from its old IT and exchange equipment. The metals will then be reused to make new equipment.

CEO Tim Shaw said: “It will be challenging but we believe it the right thing to do for our business, our customers, our region and our planet.

“We’re made a great start. For instance, 18% of the energy we need to run our Salvesen Way offices is already produced by solar panels.