The energy transition requires the active involvement of all sectors of society. In this context, collaboration between local administrations, organized citizens, and the economic fabric becomes key to advancing the implementation of Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs).
Navarre stands out as one of the leading regions in Spain in terms of energy communities per inhabitant, and the Valdizarbe-Noverena region is a clear example of social dynamism around this participatory model. Four energy communities—GaresBide (Puente la Reina-Gares), Obanos Bizi (Obanos), Biderramendi (Mendigorría), and Txaragata (Artajona-Artaxoa)—have actively collaborated in a pilot initiative framed within the LIFE PLAN4CET project.
Although these communities were initially created to promote photovoltaic self-consumption installations, their potential goes far beyond that. Energy communities are key agents in promoting a more democratic, fair, and sustainable energy model and can act in areas such as sustainable mobility, biomass, shared resource use, environmental education, and the fight against energy poverty.
Within the framework of LIFE PLAN4CET, a participatory process has been carried out in the municipalities of Puente la Reina-Gares, Obanos, Mendigorría, and Artajona-Artaxoa with two main objectives:
- Encourage a shared understanding of local SECAPs, identifying priorities for mitigation, adaptation, and energy justice.
- Propose concrete actions that can be implemented jointly or individually by energy communities and municipalities to advance toward the established climate goals.
This pilot experience, developed in a region with a high density of energy communities, has demonstrated the value of public-private-citizen collaboration as a lever to accelerate the energy transition from the local level. Its success paves the way for replicating this methodology in other regions of Navarre.
On June 24, the Obanos Cultural Center hosted the closing session of the process, where proposals developed throughout the process by Local Entities and Energy Communities were presented. In addition, different possible financing avenues were introduced through calls from the Government of Navarre and the Zona Media Consortium.