A few months from now work will commence on the construction of the solar park and the search for members begins this very week. Next Tuesday, 12 March, will see an informative meeting at the Aita Mari Cinema, and an information office will open at the Guild in mid-March.
Egutera is an energy generation and consumption cooperative in Zumaia. As an opening step, the cooperative will build a one-hectare solar facility in Oikia which will produce enough solar energy to meet the total energy consumption requirements of 600 homes. Egutera members will be able to "participate in change and save on their monthly energy bill" as part of the energy transition.
To become members of the cooperative, citizens must make an initial financial contribution according to their energy consumption, which will be laid out at the meeting on Tuesday. Thereafter, members will pay €29 per MWh for electricity (excluding charges, taxes and fees), well below the historical average market price. In addition, members will consume the energy they need on a day-to-day basis at generation cost and at a fixed price.
The Ekiola initiative, promoted by the Krean engineering company of the Mondragón Group and the Basque Energy Agency (EVE), has taken the shape of the Egutera cooperative in Zumaia. The town councils of Zumaia and Aizarnazabal, the Gertu retail merchants association, Zumaia Herri Eskola school and Zumaiena school are the project's promoters and collaborative partners. The cooperative also has its first members.
Invitation to become members in Zumaia and Aizarnazabal
The planning permission obtained following a lengthy process (see details here) means the beginning of building work on the solar panel park will take place within the next two months. For this reason, the time has come to incorporate members in the cooperative. This is the announcement from Guild members and all the citizens of Zumaia and Aizarnazabal who have been invited to participate and become members of the project.
They emphasise that the project is not only open to families, but also local establishments and small and medium-sized enterprises. In the first month, preference will be given to the inhabitants of both towns, as well as the members of local SMEs and, if applicable, those of neighbouring towns.
Representatives of agents involved in Egutera met last Thursday outside the Guild –where the information office will be located– and posed for a group photograph. The following people were in attendance: Iñaki Ostolaza, Mayor of Zumaia, Joxemi Antia and Duñike Agirrezabalaga, municipal council members, Mari Karmen Alberdi, Mayoress of Aizarnazabal, and Unai Alberdi, Councillor; Iñigo Ansola, Director General of the Basque Energy Agency; Elene Santamaria and Hodei Arzak, heads of Krean, Maitane Atorrasagasti and Maitane Urbieta, representatives of Zumaiako Herri Eskola school, Isaak Aranbarri, head of Zumaiena school and Josu Lazkano, Zumaiena school parent; Karmele Eizagirre, Markel Peñalba, Lore Uranga and Xabier Urritia, the first members of Egutera cooperative.
Informative meeting and information office
This milestone marks a new stage in Egutera energy cooperative, which will open its doors to new members next week. In this regard, two important actions were revealed at this afternoon's appearance by the group:
- Informative meeting: Next Tuesday, 12 March, there will be an informative meeting for citizens in the Aita Mari Cinema at 7 PM. This meeting will enable interested parties to learn more about the project and the way to participate. The meeting will be led by the legal head of Krean group's Ekiola projects, Elene Santamaria, and by the Mondragón University researcher Markel Peñalba, founding members of Egutera cooperative.
- Information office: An information office will open at the Guild in mid-March. There, interested parties may obtain information and carry out the necessary procedures to become members of Egutera. The office schedule and opening hours will be specified at the meeting next Tuesday.
They will also be shown on a website. The membership process can be carried out in person or via the website.
Egutera, one step further for energy transition
The Egutera cooperative aims to boost the generation and consumption of renewable energies in Zumaia, as well as promoting the active participation of the community in the transition towards a more sustainable energy model. As well as offering a clean and economical energy source, the Egutera cooperative aims to raise awareness of the importance of environmental sustainability and to promote a change in approach with the objective of using energy resources more responsibly.
The project's promoters view energy transition as a long journey. After this project, it will be necessary to take further steps so that other energy habits and patterns take root in Zumaia. According to Iñaki Ostolaza, it is Egutera's aim to offer the people of Zumaia the chance to generate and consume their own energy in the municipality. "The people of Zumaia are increasingly aware of the need to change the energy model, but multiple and varied means to put it into action are needed; we believe solar power is an important step on this journey." To support the project, Zumaia Town Council has granted Egutera a direct subsidy of €60,000, equivalent to the plot rent for 25 years.
According to the Director General of the Basque Energy Agency, Iñigo Ansola, the Egutera project is very important: "It boosts citizen participation, impacting the municipality's energy vision, involving the citizens in the cooperative self-management model and generating renewable energy at a local level."
