Ria Formosa’s Culatra Island publishes clean energy transition agenda

Culatra’s clean energy transition agenda was published this Wednesday, November 20th. And, in addition to Culatra, five other European islands have published their transition agendas also, “taking a firm step towards decarbonising their energy systems, with a strong focus on citizen involvement.”

Selected by the European Commission’s EU Clean Energy Initiative, the Aran Islands (Ireland), the Cres-Losinj Archipelago (Croatia), Culatra (Portugal), La Palma (Spain), Salina (Italy) and In the last nine months, Sifnos (Greece) have each developed decarbonisation paths adapted to their individual needs.

The six clean energy transition agendas were published in the context of the fourth EU Clean Island Forum, set to take place in Hvar, Croatia, where stakeholders from the EU small island communities will meet on Friday the 22^nd  of this month to discuss transition paths, technology, and opportunities to actively engage citizens.

“Thanks to the evolution of technology, the potential to reduce energy costs on islands and move towards energy autonomy has never been greater. Established in the context of the Clean Energy package for all Europeans, the EU Islands Clean Energy Initiative is designed to assist and accelerate this process,”said Ditte Juul-Jørgensen, EU Director-General for Energy.

“In addition, the islands have the opportunity to become beacons for global climate action. Whether through more wind energy, renovating homes, moving toward electric transport, decarbonizing maritime transport, or deploying renewable energy for hot water and home heating, the decarbonization solutions shown by these six pilot islands will guide us through more energy-efficient, more renewable and less carbon-intensive pathways,” he added.

Culatra Island’s transition agenda was co-authored by four dedicated transition teams, from Algarve University, the Culatra Island Residents Association, Make it Better, and the EU’s Clean Energy Secretariat for the Islands.

Armed with this agenda, Culatra aims to, in the coming months, enhance project development and strengthen its local community engagement strategies. Meanwhile, several other EU islands are currently in the process of developing clean energy transition agendas to be published next year.

The main objective of the whole “Culatra 2030 – Sustainable Energy Community” project is to make the fishing island self-sufficient from an energy point of view, using, for example, solar and wind energy.

Other ideas include setting up a recycling station, using electric boats, and implementing water desalination machinery.