• 100 MWh Rondo Heat Battery to decarbonize HEINEKEN’s Vialonga Brewery near Lisbon
• Partnership model delivers low-carbon steam through Heat-as-a-Service by EDP Comercial
• System to be powered by 7 MW of on-site solar and long-term renewable electricity contracts, operational by April 2027
Renewable Heat at Industrial Scale
HEINEKEN N.V., in collaboration with EDP Comercial and U.S.-based Rondo Energy, is deploying a 100 megawatt-hour (MWh) Rondo Heat Battery system at its Vialonga Brewery and Malting Plant near Lisbon. The project represents one of the largest industrial-scale heat battery installations in Europe and the first of its kind in the beverage industry, setting a precedent for renewable heat integration across energy-intensive sectors.
The system will store renewable electricity from two primary sources — a new 7 MW peak on-site solar installation and a long-term renewable grid supply — and convert it into steam to power brewing operations. This innovation enables HEINEKEN to continue its existing brewing processes while eliminating reliance on fossil fuels for thermal energy.
The Heat-as-a-Service Model
EDP Comercial, the retail energy arm of Portugal’s largest utility, will design, build, and operate the system under a Heat-as-a-Service model. HEINEKEN will purchase low-carbon steam directly from EDP rather than owning or managing the infrastructure, lowering operational complexity while maintaining predictable energy costs.
Rondo Energy will supply its proprietary Rondo Heat Battery (RHB) technology — a high-efficiency system that captures intermittent renewable power and stores it as heat at industrial temperatures. When required, the stored heat is released as steam, making it suitable for continuous manufacturing processes that typically depend on fossil-based thermal systems.
Industrial Decarbonization and Energy Security
For HEINEKEN, the investment supports its global goal to decarbonize production and achieve net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2040. By integrating thermal energy storage, the company aims to both reduce carbon emissions and shield its operations from volatility in global energy markets.
“The collaboration with EDP and Rondo unlocks new ways to power our brewery operations more efficiently,” said Magne Setnes, Chief Supply Chain Officer at HEINEKEN. “This project not only reduces our reliance on conventional energy, it shows how practical innovation and strong partnerships can deliver meaningful improvements across our supply chain.”
The RHB system will provide stable, renewable energy inputs while helping cap exposure to fluctuating gas and electricity prices. For EDP, the partnership demonstrates the commercial scalability of its service-based decarbonization model — enabling clients to access renewable heat without upfront capital expenditure.
RELATED ARTICLE: Heineken Reaches 84% Renewable Electricity in 2024, Cuts Scope 1 & 2 Emissions by 34%
Broader Implications for Energy-Intensive Industries
While the Vialonga installation targets HEINEKEN’s internal sustainability goals, it carries wider implications for European industry. The EU’s push to phase out fossil fuels in industrial heat — which accounts for nearly one-fifth of total energy consumption in the bloc — has accelerated demand for scalable electrification and storage solutions.
Rondo’s technology, already deployed in select U.S. manufacturing plants, offers a pathway to electrify high-temperature heat processes traditionally considered hard to abate. The partnership model established with HEINEKEN and EDP provides a blueprint that could be replicated across other sectors such as food and beverage, pulp and paper, and chemicals.
Policy and Market Context
Portugal’s rapid growth in renewables — with over 70% of its electricity generation coming from clean sources — creates a favorable policy environment for industrial electrification. The HEINEKEN project aligns with national and EU targets to decarbonize industry through the integration of clean heat technologies and the use of flexible, service-based financing.
As carbon pricing and regulatory disclosure frameworks tighten under the EU Green Deal and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), projects like this are expected to gain traction among global corporations seeking measurable, verifiable pathways to net-zero operations.
Global Relevance
With implementation slated for April 2027, the Vialonga heat battery project is positioned to become one of the largest thermal storage systems in the beverage sector. Its success could accelerate broader adoption of heat storage solutions worldwide, offering a replicable model for corporations balancing decarbonization targets with operational reliability.
In a sector where process heat accounts for the majority of emissions, HEINEKEN’s initiative — underpinned by EDP’s service model and Rondo’s innovation — reflects a growing shift from incremental efficiency gains to systemic transformation in industrial energy use.
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