Auchan Retail Romania 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 energy transition. Auchan Retail Romania has set itself a 40% reduction in the energy consumption of its stores and the use of 100% electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The company has recently completed the installation of photovoltaic panels on 4 of its stores, and those on the roof of Auchan Coresi from Brașov is already functional.
With the help of Helexia, Auchan Retail Romania will equip 16 stores from all over 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 on the large stores it operates.
Photovoltaic panels are currently also 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, with the aim of having 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,” says Cristian Drăghici, Director of Auchan Renewable Energy.
“We are pleased to accompany our partner Auchan in accelerating operational implementation to achieve its 2030 climate plan goals. We are also happy to continue our expansion in Romania with our second portfolio of projects, totaling an installed capacity of 12, 7 MW in the country,” adds Benjamin Simonis, CEO of Helexia.
Last year, in the context of the energy crisis and in accordance with 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 has implemented multiple measures with a short and medium-term effect, and the initiatives, developed on several levels, complement the already existing investments for energy efficiency projects, part of the 2030 Climate Plan. Reducing energy consumption was a priority and in previous years, Auchan managing to reduce consumption in the period 2014-2020 by another 20%.
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.