Climate Action awards 3.6 million euros for the creation of regional offices to boost the energy transition

These offices will support local initiatives linked to the change of energy model, and will also provide technical knowledge to define the criteria for the implementation of renewable energies in each region.

The Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, through the Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN), has awarded 3.6 million euros to the 41 county councils of Catalonia for the constitution of the Regional Offices of 'Boosting the Energy Transition. The function of these offices will be to support projects and actions in the field of energy transition that are deployed in each region.

The aid will subsidize 90% of the costs of hiring technical and communication staff in order to guarantee the operation of these offices for a period of two years, with a maximum of 90,000 euros. In this way, the county councils will be able to have the necessary technical knowledge to encourage measures and support initiatives related to energy saving and efficiency, renewable energies or the empowerment of citizens in their relationship with energy. , and have the necessary resources to disseminate them.

The offices will also help to define the criteria of each region when planning and designing the implementation of renewable energies in each territory. This task will be integrated in the framework of the Territorial Plan for the implementation of renewable energy facilities in Catalonia, and must facilitate progress towards an energy model based on renewable energies, with the generation distributed in the territory and participated by the citizens. Therefore, the work of these offices will be carried out in coordination with the Directorate General of Energy and the ICAEN.

All the county councils of Catalonia have presented themselves in the line of aid, which demonstrates the involvement and will of the local and county administrations of Catalonia with the transition to a new decarbonized energy model, cleaner, sustainable and democratic . Once the call has been resolved, in the coming months each council will proceed to set up its Office.

Territorial balance, key to the new energy model

Territorial balance is one of the keys to the new energy model towards which Catalonia is advancing, which will be based on energy saving and efficiency, renewable energies and the empowerment of citizens. Co-responsibility and participation must facilitate the deployment of renewable energies throughout the country, prioritizing distributed generation and giving citizens the opportunity to be part of the projects.

In this line, and in addition to the impetus of the county offices to promote the energy transition, the Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda has approved other measures, such as the start of the preparation of the Territorial Sectorial Plan of renewable energies -which must set the criteria for their implementation in the country- or the constitution of the Social Dialogue Table for renewable energies, and has established conditions to favor small and medium-sized renewable energy projects and also to encourage citizens to participate.