TowerXchange: Congratulations on winning Flexenclosure’s largest ever order for eSite from Apollo Towers in Myanmar - please tell us how you secured the order.
Mattias Karlsson, Vice President eSite, Flexenclosure:
eSite is a perfect fit for the customer’s requirements in Myanmar as it has been developed to be used in rural areas with limited if any access to power infrastructure.
We were also one of the first hybrid power solutions vendors in country, demonstrating clear commitment to Myanmar when many others still considered it too much of risk and an unknown quantity. That early start gave us the opportunity to fully understand the challenges that the towercos were facing and we established a strong relationship with Apollo Towers, who had a very clear plan for their business which matched very well with our product strengths.
TowerXchange: Please tell us about the cell site energy context in Myanmar - I understand grid power is very limited beyond the big three cities…
Mattias Karlsson, Vice President eSite, Flexenclosure:
Outside the three main cities grid coverage is more-or-less non-existent. This is not an issue for eSite though as it is designed for plug-and-play upgrade for solar power. The initial roll out is anticipated to be mainly in locations with some grid availability, but most of the future sites will be 100% off grid.
TowerXchange: I understand energy logistics are also a challenge given the under-developed transport infrastructure in Myanmar - how does that improve the business case for hybrid solutions in terms of reduced truck rolls versus DG+battery hybrids, and how does Flexenclosure intend to work around the installation logistics challenges?
Mattias Karlsson, Vice President eSite, Flexenclosure:
Flexenclosure’s eSite is perfect for a challenging deployment like this one in Myanmar. eSite is a single cabinet solution which minimises the need for extended on-site installation work, and a two man team can handle the entire installation in a single day.
Fully integrated into eSite is eManager, an advanced tool for site power network optimisation. eManager installation and future software updates can be done entirely remotely, with no-one needed on site. And on-going eSite management can also be handled completely remotely, whether fine-tuning for improved performance or correcting an error or issue caused by an on-site event.
eSite can deliver up to 90% reduction in diesel fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, and energy-related opex, and the best sustained performance over time versus any competing hybrid power system. So the business case in terms of reduced truck rolls is clear.
“Flexenclosure’s eSite provides us with a flexible turnkey solution backed up by a strong deployment and support team. - Francois Lorelli, CEO, Apollo Towers
In addition, we have been working very closely with local partners who have helped us to understand and overcome specific infrastructure challenges, and we will continue to work together throughout the project to ensure the smoothest possible rollout.
TowerXchange: With an estimated 7-10,000 towers to be rolled out in Myanmar in the next five years, do you have a sense of the proportion of those towers that might be built on unreliable or off-grid sites? What does the future hold for Flexenclosure in this exciting country?
Mattias Karlsson, Vice President eSite, Flexenclosure:
Our sense is that close to 80% of these sites would be off grid.
As for the future, we are wholly committed to successfully delivering on this first project for Apollo Towers and to extending our footprint in the country in follow-on deployments.
