Bright future at Retal’s solar powered facility
Renewable energy was celebrated at the official opening of the largest roof-mounted solar powered plant in the Baltic States at global plastic packaging manufacturer Retal’s Lentvaris factory. Attended by many of Lithuania’s leading business people interested in green energy, the event, called “Solar Energy and Lithuanian Business: Good Practices and Challenges”, was held on Thursday 7th February. Installed by contractors I + D Energias Lietuva in autumn 2018, the power plant will reduce Retal’s CO2 emissions by 733.6 tonnes per year.
Giedrius Viederis, Director of Retal Lithuania, opened the event, where he explained that this huge project was driven by the obligation to both conserve the environment and consume clean energy. Thanking the partners and representatives of the Lietuvos Verslo Paramos Agentūra – Lithuanian Business Support Agency (LVPA) for financing the project, he said, “Today, Retal is also taking a step forward. The solemn opening of the largest roof-top solar power plant in the Baltic States is the result of a three-year project by many people to implement our idea.” Guests included Marius Skuodis, Deputy Minister of Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania, Rytis Kėvelaitis, Adviser to the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Lithuania, representatives of the Lithuanian Business Support Agency LVPA, Arnold Gaudiešius Ruta Jakubauskienė, Director of the Large Business Customer Department, and representatives from companies from across Lithuania interested in the use of renewable energy.
The event also included an interesting panel discussion where guests, Albertas Trakimavičius, Chief Energy Officer of Retal Lithuania and Rūta Jakubauskienė, Executive Director of I + D Energias Lietuva, engaged in debate about issues related to the future of renewable energy in Lithuania and financing opportunities. Viederis adds, “It was wide-ranging discussion that presented excellent information on the possibility of state aid for enterprises, important details that businesses need to know before installing solar panels and facts about the most successful large-scale solar panel plants in Lithuania and across Europe.”
Guests were given a tour of the roof-mounted solar panel plant and had the opportunity to learn about the technology used and ask questions of the suppliers involved in this project. Retal’s solar panel roof stands out for its exceptional safety and the quality of the materials used for its installation – all the solar modules have been manufactured in the European Union, giving the plant a twenty-year warranty. The power of the power plant is 1.4 MW and the value of the project exceeds one million euros.
Retal President Anatoly Martynov notes how this investment represents the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability across its operations. Martynov says: “The installation of solar panels at our facility in Lentvaris is a key part of Retal’s significant investment in sustainability and shows the progressive approach of the whole region. This large-scale project demonstrates our ongoing commitment to environmental protection; we intend to be as efficient as possible in increasing the use of renewable energy across the Retal global plants.”
