Aukera secures EUR 60 mln debt facility to finance battery storage project in Romania

Brussels-based Aukera Energy said that it secured a EUR 60 million debt facility from Kommunalkredit Austria AG to finance the construction of its first stand-alone battery energy storage system in Romania. The 250 MW/500 MWh project in Ialomița County will be “one of the largest storage projects in Central and Eastern Europe” and will be delivered in two phases. 

According to the company, the Phase 1 construction is underway, and the full project is expected to be operational by mid-2026.

Aiden Yates, Aukera’s Managing Director for Project Finance, said: “BESS projects are playing an increasingly vital role in providing the flexibility and reliability needed to balance supply and demand in a rapidly evolving generation mix, stabilizing grid frequency, and ensuring consistent power delivery. This first financing for Aukera in Romania brings together our market-leading local and international expertise across the platform to deliver the first project in our 2GW Romanian BESS pipeline.”

In turn, Arnaud de Laportaliere, Senior Transactor at Kommunalkredit, commented: “This project marks a decisive step toward strengthening Romania’s energy resilience.” 

Kommunalkredit acted as the Sole Mandated Lead Arranger.

The principal advisors for the transaction were Akereos Capital (financial), Clifford Chance Badea (borrower legal), Dentons (lender legal), and Rina Consulting (lender technical). 

Aukera was founded in 2021 by renewable energy executives Pascal Emsens and Catalin Breaban and focuses on the development, construction, and operation of solar, wind, and battery storage projects. The company is currently developing a pipeline of over 16 GW across the UK, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Romania. 

Aukera is currently in pre-construction or construction on approximately 800 MW of projects across its core geographies, including 450 MW of BESS capacity. 

The company is headquartered in Brussels and has offices in London, Edinburgh, Berlin, Rome, and Bucharest.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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