Wedoany.com Report-Nov. 19, Aukera Energy has secured a €60 million ($69.58 million) debt facility from Kommunalkredit Austria to finance its first standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) in Romania. This debt facility will fund the construction of a 250MW BESS in Gura Ialomitei, Ialomita County, which is expected to be one of the largest BESS projects in Central and Eastern Europe.

The BESS is set to be one of the largest of its kind in the region.

The project will be developed in two phases, with the first phase already under construction. Aukera aims to have the entire BESS fully operational by mid-2026. Kommunalkredit Austria served as the sole mandated lead arranger for the debt facility.

Aukera’s Managing Director for Project Finance, Aiden Yates, expressed his satisfaction with the partnership, saying: "We are very pleased to partner with Kommunalkredit on this landmark transaction for Aukera and for the Romanian storage market. 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, stabilising grid frequency, and ensuring consistent power delivery."

Yates also emphasized the importance of this financing as Aukera's first project in Romania, marking a significant step toward expanding the company’s European storage and generation platform. The project is part of Aukera’s broader 2GW Romanian BESS pipeline, and its successful execution is seen as a testament to the company’s ability to manage large and complex projects across various markets.

The principal advisors for this transaction included Akereos Capital as the financial advisor, Clifford Chance Badea as the legal advisor to Aukera, Dentons as the legal advisor to Kommunalkredit, and Rina Consulting as the technical advisor to the lender.

Kommunalkredit's senior transactor, Arnaud de Laportaliere, commented: “This project marks a decisive step toward strengthening Romania’s energy resilience. By supporting Aukera’s first battery storage initiative, we are helping to substantially improve grid stability, in line with Kommunalkredit‘s vision to accelerate the energy transition across Europe.”

Founded in 2021 by renewable energy executives Pascal Emsens and Catalin Breaban, Aukera Energy focuses on developing, constructing, and operating solar, wind, and battery storage projects. The company is actively advancing a pipeline of over 16GW across Europe, including projects in the UK, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Romania.