Auchan Retail Romania continues to invest in its transition to green energy. The retailer aims to produce renewable energy in 16 hypermarkets in Romania as part of a group-wide partnership signed with Helexia, an international group specialised in the energy transition. Auchan Retail Romania has set itself the target of a 40% reduction in stores energy consumption and the use of 100% renewable electricity 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 in Brașov are already functional.
With the help of Helexia, Auchan Retail Romania will equip 16 stores throughout the country with solar rooftops, totalling to 9.1 MW. These photovoltaic installations will provide 10.4 GWh, will cover 20% of the total consumption of the stores and help avoid around 5,800 tonnes of CO2 per year. This will contribute to reaching the 2030 target that Auchan Retail aims to achieve.
The 1,622 photovoltaic panels installed on Auchan Coresi in Brasov will provide about 16% of the store’s energy needs, with a total power of 665 kW. The site will generate green energy and contribute to reducing the negative impact on the environment, eliminating more than 410 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Auchan also aims to install more than 22,000 photovoltaic panels on its large stores in the future.
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.
Last year, in the context of the energy crisis and in line with the company’s strategy to decarbonise its operations, Auchan Retail Romania launched a set of actions to ensure that the company’s energy consumption decreased by 20%. The retailer has implemented multiple measures with short and medium-term effects, 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 has been a priority in previous years as well, with Auchan managing to reduce consumption in the 2014-2020 period by another 20%.
In early 2023, Auchan Retail Romania established Auchan Renewable Energy, a company that aims to purchase & supply energy to Auchan locations, as well as develop energy efficiency projects – photovoltaic panels, electric car charging stations and energy efficiency projects. In addition, for the first time, in 2024, Auchan will buy energy directly from the open market for 3 of its stores.
“We are thrilled to accompany our partner Auchan in accelerating their operational deployment to achieve their 2023 climate plan objectives. We are also happy to continue our expansion in Romania with our second project portfolio, totalling to an installed capacity of 12.7 MW within the country.”
Benjamin Simonis,
CEO of Helexia
“The photovoltaic panel installation project, carried out together with our partner Helexia, is part of the energy efficiency measures that we have already set in the 2030 Climate Plan, with the aim of having a direct impact in the fight against climate change. Energy from renewable sources is a sustainable alternative and helps maintain a cleaner environment. We aim to have the panels implemented in 16 Auchan hypermarkets by the end of 2024, which will lead to a total approximate production of more than 10,000 MWh per year.”
Cristian Drăghici,
Director Auchan Renewable Energy
