The Central de Cervejas e Bebidas Brewery and Malting Plant, part of the HEINEKEN Company in Portugal, will soon operate with clean, zero-emission steam as a result of a new partnership between HEINEKEN, EDP, and Rondo Energy. This initiative marks the first major Heat-as-a-Service agreement in Portugal and aims to decarbonize industrial processes through heat electrification by combining solar power and thermal storage.
Under the agreement, Grupo Central de Cervejas (a subsidiary of HEINEKEN), Rondo Energy, and EDP will install a 100 MWh thermal storage battery at the brewery site in Lisbon. This installation is set to become one of the largest heat batteries in the beverage sector globally. The project is subject to customary administrative and regulatory approvals.
Rondo’s Heat Battery technology stores renewable electricity as high-temperature heat, which provides continuous zero-carbon steam for production needs without relying on fossil-fuel boilers. As part of this project, EDP will build a 7 MWp solar plant at the brewery to power the Rondo battery system.
In addition to on-site solar generation, the battery will be charged using renewable energy from the grid through a long-term flexible power purchase agreement (PPA) for 25 GWh per year between Central de Cervejas e Bebidas and EDP. This arrangement allows EDP to optimize energy delivery while maximizing renewable electricity use.
Magne Setnes, Chief Supply Chain Officer at HEINEKEN, stated: “By combining our strengths with EDP and Rondo, we’re unlocking new ways to power our brewery operations more efficiently. This project not only helps us reduce our reliance on conventional energy, it shows how practical innovation and strong partnerships can deliver meaningful improvements across our supply chain.”
Eric Trusiewicz, CEO of Rondo Energy, commented: “Iberia can become Europe’s low-cost, low-carbon industrial base. We’re thrilled to deploy our first Rondo Heat Battery in the region and support HEINEKEN in its goals. We look forward to helping industries across Iberia cut costs and emissions and help Iberia capitalize on the opportunity.”
With this solution from EDP and Rondo Energy, it is expected that carbon emissions at the brewery will be reduced without changing production processes since steam produced by the battery matches that generated by fossil fuels. The facility anticipates lowering natural gas consumption enough to avoid approximately 6,600 tons of CO₂ emissions annually.
Sociedade Central de Cervejas e Bebidas already operates two solar plants developed by EDP with a combined capacity of 2 MWp. Over recent years both companies have also collaborated on sustainability initiatives for major music festivals in Portugal.
This latest project offers a model that could be replicated by other sectors with significant energy needs such as food and beverage processing, pulp and paper manufacturing, chemicals production, or pharmaceuticals.
The initiative has received backing from both the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst. Karl Nehammer, Vice President at EIB said: “Boosting competitiveness and decarbonizing Europe’s industry through affordable renewable energy is a key priority for the EIB Group. Through our new Climate Bank Roadmap we are prioritizing innovative solutions such as Rondo’s heat battery. This project is exactly the kind of public-private partnership we aim to support more of in the future.”
Mario Fernandez from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst added: “Rondo’s heat batteries offer a unique pathway toward energy security for European industry, allowing companies like Heineken to implement a solution that is affordable, reliable, and clean. Catalyst exists to accelerate deployment of critical technologies; we are thrilled to support a project…that can provide round-the-clock decarbonized heat for manufacturing in this moment of need.”
The collaboration between HEINEKEN—a global leader in food & beverage—and EDP—an established name in energy—demonstrates potential benefits that heat batteries could bring not only for industrial facilities but also for renewable producers and grid operators.
The Rondo Heat Battery charges using intermittent or low-cost electricity stored as heat within refractory brick material before delivering steam on demand under various conditions up to over 100 bar pressure—all without combustion or emissions—and can replace traditional fossil fuel-fired boilers or cogeneration systems while supporting continuous operation around-the-clock.
