LONGi supplies 54.1MW of back contact modules in Romania's largest solar park for retail infrastructure

LONGi Solar, a global leader in solar technology, has deployed 54.1MW of Hi-MO 9 back contact (BC) modules at Romania’s CEF Chișineu-Criș, Arad County, solar park. Developed for NEPI Rockcastle (the SOLPOWER Energy subsidiary) and engineered by EPC partner Enevo Group, this utility-scale project—Romania’s largest solar installation for retail infrastructure—will positively impact the directly pathway for decarbonization ate NEPI Rockcastle’s property portfolio in Romania, showcasing BC technology’s pivotal role in grid-scale renewable transitions.

The Chișineu-Criș facility in Arad County features 84,000 Hi-MO 9 modules, strategically deployed to maximize energy autonomy for NEPI Rockcastle’s retail assets in Romania. The plant has been in full ownership of the leading owner and developer of shopping centers across Central and Eastern Europe since last year. Construction has started in January2025 and remains on schedule for Q4 2025 grid connection. The project exemplifies BC technology’s scalability, with Hi-MO 9’s 24.8% module efficiency and -0.26%/°C temperature coefficient ensuring optimal performance in Romania’s continental climate.

"This project exemplifies how BC technology transforms utility-scale solar into a reliable backbone for major infrastructure. Hi-MO 9’s unmatched performance ensures NEPI Rockcastle’s portfolio achieves energy stability" stated Mirel Jarnea,Country Manager Utility Scale Business Unit of LONGi.

Faced with Romania’s grid limitations and land efficiency demands, Hi-MO 9’s back contact architecture eliminated front-grid shading losses to achieve 8% higher yield versus TOPCon products. Its PID/LID resistance guarantees 30-year performance stability—critical for NEPI Rockcastle’s long-term asset strategy—while minimizing maintenance costs across the 54.1MW site.

Eduard Meiloiu, Executive Director Renewables BU of ENEVO said “Our collaboration with LONGi has been seamless from start to finish, reflecting a truly efficient and aligned partnership. BC technology brought clear engineering advantages — from higher efficiency and improved thermal performance to long-term reliability. Our engineering team greatly appreciated the precision and flexibility of the solution, which enabled us to deliver a robust project tailored to local conditions and fully aligned with Romania’s sustainability goals."

This project is expected to generate around 70,171 MWh of clean electricity each year, which is enough to power approximately 29,300 Romanian homes. In doing so, it will also help avoid around 21,100 tons of CO₂ emissions annually, as contribution to climate goals. Beyond environmental benefits, the project will create over 100 local jobs and give priority to regional contractors, boosting the local economy.

By aligning climate mitigation with local economic development, this utility-scale solar initiative highlights how renewable infrastructure can meaningfully contribute to emissions reduction and socio-economic resilience.

“NEPI Rockcastle’s green energy program is advancing through three major stages, reflecting our long-term commitment to sustainability and decarbonization. We’re investing €110 million in new photovoltaic projects, including solar panel installations across 23 properties in CEE and greenfield developments in Romania totaling 159 MW in capacity.These efforts already enable us to generate 6% of our portfolio’s electricity needs and will help us reach our target of 84% renewable electricity usage. As part of this program, we partnered with LONGi specifically for the Chișineu-Criș solar project, where their high-efficiency photovoltaic modules are helping us deliver a flagship utility-scale development in Romania. This collaboration supports our strategic goal of enhancing the use of electricity from renewable source and energy autonomy of our retail assets” concluded Andrei Radu, Group Development Director at NEPI Rockcastle.

As Eastern Europe’s premier solar portfoliodirectly powering retail infrastructure, CEF Chișineu-Criș establishes areplicable model for large-scale renewable integration. With NEPI Rockcastleplanning expansion across its property network, LONGi’s BC technology standsready to accelerate Europe’s utility-scale revolution.