Alina Oprea • 9 January, 2024 at 10:27 AM
Auchan Retail Romania has announced that it continues investing in its green energy transition. The retailer aims to produce energy from renewable sources in 16 hypermarkets in Romania, as part of a group-wide partnership signed with Helexia, an international group specialized in the energy transition. Auchan Retail Romania has proposed a 40% reduction in store energy consumption and the use of 100% renewable electricity by 2030.
The company has completed the installation of photovoltaic panels in 4 of its stores, and those on the roof of Auchan Coresi in Brașov are already functional.
Auchan Retail Romania will equip 16 stores across the country with photovoltaic panels, totaling 9.1 MW. They will provide 10.4 GWh, cover 20% of the stores' total consumption and help avoid the consumption of approximately 5,800 tons of CO2 per year. This will contribute to the 2030 goal that Auchan Retail aims to achieve.
The 1,622 photovoltaic panels installed on Auchan Coresi in Brașov provide approximately 16% of the energy needed by the store, with a total power of over 665 kW. The system generates green energy and will help reduce the negative impact on the environment, eliminating more than 410 tons of CO2 emissions annually.
Auchan also aims to install over 22,000 photovoltaic panels in its large stores.
Photovoltaic panels are currently installed on the Cluj Iris, Brașov Vest, and Auchan Oradea stores and are to be put into operation. The following hypermarkets where panels will be installed are Auchan Baia Mare, Satu Mare, Pitesti Bradu, Constanța Nord, Ploiesti, Târgu Mureș, Pallady, Timișoara Sud, Pitesti Găvana, Berceni, Craiova Craiovița, Timișoara Nord.
"The photovoltaic panel installation project, carried out together with our partner Helexia, is part of the energy efficiency measures we have already set in the 2030 Climate Plan, to have a direct impact in combating climate change. Energy from renewable sources is a sustainable alternative and helps maintain a cleaner environment. We aim to have the panels deployed in 16 Auchan hypermarkets by the end of 2024, which will lead to an approximate total output of over 10,000 MWh per year.” said Cristian Drăghici, Director of Auchan Renewable Energy.
Last year, in the context of the energy crisis and by the company's strategy regarding the decarbonization of operations, Auchan Retail Romania started a set of actions that ensure the decrease of the company's energy consumption by 20%. The retailer reduced its energy consumption from 2014 to 2020 by another 20%.
"We are happy to continue our expansion in Romania with the second portfolio of projects, totaling an installed capacity of 12.7 MW in the country", says Benjamin Simonis, CEO of Helexia.
At the beginning of 2023, Auchan Romania established Auchan Renewable Energy, a company whose objective is the purchase and supply of energy to Auchan locations, as well as the development of energy efficiency projects - photovoltaic panels, electric car charging stations, and consumption efficiency projects energy. In addition, for the first time, in 2024, Auchan will purchase energy directly from the open market for 3 of its stores.