Bizkaia approves €500,000 in aid for municipal & supra-municipal councils to combat climate change

15/07/2021

• The Provincial Council of Bizkaia, one of the social entities involved in the Integrated LIFE Urban Klima 2050 project, is earmarking the subsidies in question for planning studies on climate change and energy efficiency and actions for investment in equipment intended to reduce energy consumption in street lighting and public buildings.
• Institutions interested in requesting funding have until 30 September this year to apply.

Municipal and supra-municipal councils in Bizkaia can receive a boost for their efforts to combat climate change thanks to an aid package approved by the Provincial Council. As a social partner in the integrated LIFE Urban Klima 2050 project, the Provincial Council has published a call for applications for subsidies totalling €500,000 to enable institutions in its territory to draw up planning studies on climate change and energy efficiency and invest in equipment to reduce energy consumption in street lighting and public buildings.

The subsidies will be awarded on a free competition basis, and the maximum amount in each case will be €15,000 for studies and €40,000 for projects. Municipal and supra-municipal councils that wish to apply for this aid can do have until 30 September this year to do so, via the Provincial Council's online office or in person at the registry of the Department of Sustainability and the Environment and the general registry of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia.
There are three areas of action: planning, street lighting and energy efficiency.

Subsidies will be awarded to schemes in three areas:

1.    Planning for climate change:

• Studies for the preparation of plans on climate change and energy at municipal or supra-municipal level.

2.    Street lighting:

• Actions that reduce electricity consumption by street lighting, with documentary proof of Class A energy status.
• Installation of permanent monitoring systems for street lighting and the preparation of energy studies and analyses resulting in practical projects.

3.    Reduction of electricity and/or fuel consumption at town halls and municipal amenities:

• Installation of climate control and/or water heating systems.
• Installation of combined heat and power and trigeneration systems.
•  Application of permanent remote energy consumption monitoring systems.
• Installations to make use of renewable resources to reduce external energy consumption via heat-based systems (biomass boilers, geothermal & aerothermal plants & thermal solar plants).
• Energy studies and analyses that result in practical projects.