APB Apranga : Apranga Group fulfils its sustainability commitments by installing a solar power plant

Apranga Group, the leading clothing retailer in the Baltic countries, has installed a 0.55 MW solar power plant on the roof of its administration and logistics centre in Vilnius as part of the company's sustainability commitments.

Preparations and planning started at the beginning of the year and the plant was installed within two summer months. Following inspections, the plant finally became operational in October and supplies part of the needs of the administration and logistics centre in Vilnius.

"Until now, we have been using only green electricity for both our stores and the administration and logistics centre, but as part of our sustainability commitment we decided to become a generating consumer and further contribute to reducing our climate change impact. We have been developing our long-term strategy with a commitment to take actions that reduce the climate impact of our activities and contribute to positive change. Of course, we have considered investments and return, but the main objective is to achieve our sustainability goals," says Rimantas Perveneckas, Director General of Apranga Group.

The administration and logistics centre of Apranga Group employs almost 200 people. The building, which meets the highest environmental standards, is heated and cooled by geothermal pumps, which will run even more efficiently using locally generated electricity, having installed a solar power plant. The building also includes more smart solutions such as natural sunlight, rainwater harvesting and reuse, and an automatic climate control system.

In total, 1 325 modules have been installed on the complex, covering a total area of 2 732 sq. m. The installation of the solar power plant was designed to maximise efficiency and therefore the most advanced solutions were chosen to ensure the performance of the plant. The total investment is more than € 400 000 and the estimated return period is 4-5 years. The work has been carried out by UAB Reenpro which will also provide service and warranty maintenance of the facilities. The installed facilities are expected to operate efficiently for at least 40 years.
"Apranga Group's project was completed faster than usual because they had already planned to invest in clean electricity at the beginning of the year, before the peak of the demand for the solar power plants. We are pleased to have partners who are basically following the Green Deal and we guarantee that our solutions will allow them to achieve maximum efficiency," says Danis Jarušas, Head of UAB Reenpro, the company that carried out the works.

Apranga Group operates a chain of 167 stores in the Baltic countries (100 in Lithuania, 44 in Latvia and 23 in Estonia), with a total area of 90 500 sq. m. All points of sale use only green electricity from renewable energy sources.