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  • News blog
  • 20 April 2023
  • 1 min read

Crete Regional Development Fund: Insular multi-level governance for clean energy transition

Crete Regional Development Fund: Insular multi-level governance for clean energy transition

The Regional Development Fund of Crete implements a systematic procedure of multi participatory and structured dialogue and working plan for the establishment of a road map and an action plan for the clean energy transition of the island of Crete.

This procedure must combine:

  • existing study for the Regional energy planning
  • existing municipal SEAPs and the on-going ones
  • national priorities - as are specified for the island of Crete
  • climate action plan at the regional level
  • RIS3 regional smart innovation strategies for sustainable energy and climate change
  • Regional Operational – Community Support Framework
  • scenarios for the electricity and gas interconnections to the mainland
  • research and innovation sectoral capabilities and priorities
  • interests of the investors
  • energy cooperatives
  • social interests
  • others

The island figures:

  • Permanent population: 680.000
  • Annual tourists arrivals: 4.500.000
  • Area: 8.336 km2
  • Distance from the mainland: 339 km2
  • Main economic activities: tourism, agriculture, trade
  • Electrical system: Non-inter connected
  • Res share in the electricity mix: 25%

The Regional Energy Agency of Crete is the regional coordinator of the Covenant of Mayors for the whole island of Crete and member of the Regional Innovation Council, capitalizing its multiannual experience in participatory energy and climate regional planning. The island of Crete is the biggest one among the 26 pilot islands chosen in 2019 by the secretariat for Clean Energy for EU islands. Therefore the exercise for the clean energy transition of such a big island is much more complex and time-consuming and the results will be of a particular interest. The structured and strategic dialogue between all relevant stakeholders are also combined with horizontal assessment for sectoral on-going works and implementations for energy efficiency in public and private buildings, for bioclimatic public places, for energy cooperatives, for public lighting, for virtual net metering in municipalities, for sustainable energy education in schools etc.

The main expected outcomes:

  1. Built-up a common vision and consensus for the energy transition.
  2. Combine Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan of the whole island (SECAP-I) with the 24 municipal SECAPS.
  3. Prioritize energy efficiency and energy saving in all activity sectors.
  4. Maximize the RES penetration in the energy system.
  5. Establish an efficient electricity management system combining the electricity interconnections and the local RES electricity production.
  6. Attract and support sustainable energy and energy efficiency investments.
  7. Combine the Smart Regional Specialization of the Crete Region with pilot and innovative energy projects.
  8. Design and implement a continuous and multi-faced communication – dissemination – promotion plan for the regional energy transition.

Details

Publication date
20 April 2023