France: EIB and European Commission support the energy transition of the Communaute dAgglomeration Pays Basque (CAPB) via the ELENA facility


Technical assistance will be provided focusing on the energy-efficient renovation of public buildings and the development of renewable energies.
>@Carole Pro/Communauté Pays Basque
©Carole Pro/Communauté Pays Basque
  • €1.8 million of EU financing has been granted for three-year studies and three jobs for CAPB and its partners.
  • Technical assistance will be provided focusing on the energy-efficient renovation of public buildings and the development of renewable energies.
  • The partnership is expected to lead to €45 million of investments by CAPB and its partners in energy transition projects.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission are supporting the Communauté d’Agglomération Pays Basque's project to perform energy-efficient renovations of public buildings and develop renewable energies. The support is being provided via the ELENA (European Local Energy Assistance) facility.

Launched jointly by the European Commission and the EIB, ELENA was created under the Horizon 2020 programme to provide support for technical assistance, including for the implementation of energy efficiency measures, the development of renewable energy and support for urban transport projects.

In France, 12 metropolitan (Lyon, Lille, Strasbourg, Bordeaux and others) and regional (Occitanie and Grand Est) projects have so far been supported by the EIB under this initiative. CAPB is the first metropolitan community ( communauté d’agglomération ) to benefit from the ELENA facility and implement an investment programme focusing on energy-efficient renovation and the development of renewable energies (including solar photovoltaic and biomass geothermal and thermal sea power heating/cooling networks).

The programme is structured around three focal points:

  • Energy restraint and efficiency: Plan full energy-efficient renovations for 240 public buildings with a minimum energy gain of 40%.
  • Renewable energy: Develop new solar and heating/cooling electricity generation projects for more than 200 buildings.
  • Financial engineering: Mobilise additional financial resources to implement these projects. CAPB will study the creation of an innovative financial mechanism for conducting energy performance work to generate energy savings, which will then be used to repay the loans granted by financial institutions and to finance new projects.

Over three years, the EIB will finance €1.8 million of studies and three jobs for CAPB and its partners, namely 67 municipalities, three social housing associations, the Syndicat des mobilités Pays Basque-Adour and the Commission syndicale de l’Ostabaret.  

The ELENA facility plan indicates that, on the conclusion of the study phase in 2025, CAPB and its partners commit to making €45 million of investments concerning:

  • 77 full energy-efficient renovation operations with a proactive goal of reducing final energy use by 40% to 75% with respect to the energy baseline of the buildings concerned (32 000 m² of public buildings and 530 social homes): crèches, nurseries and primary schools, sports facilities (trinquets, gyms, ice rinks, etc.), town halls, multipurpose rooms, social housing, etc.
  • 70 solar photovoltaic power plants (for total sale and/or own use of the electricity produced).
  • Three biomass, geothermal or thermal sea power heating/cooling networks .

EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle said: “The ELENA technical assistance facility set up over 12 years ago with the European Commission has proven its effectiveness in successfully mobilising the considerable investments needed for the energy transition across a wide variety of European regions. This €1.8 million in EU financing will enable the Communauté d’Agglomération Pays Basque to lay the groundwork for much larger local projects for a new sustainable energy model.”

European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson added: “Energy efficiency is a pillar of the European Green Deal and ELENA is a great catalyst for investment, supporting regions in their long-term energy transition and helping them to cope with current price peaks. The Communauté du Pays Basque will benefit from ELENA funding from the European Commission for the renovation of its public buildings and technical assistance from the EIB.

President of the Communauté d’Agglomération Pays Basque Jean-René Etchegaray said: “The Communauté Pays Basque is the first metropolitan community in France to have been selected by the European Commission for its project to renovate public buildings across the region. It shows that by opting to set up an institution for the Basque Country, the region has opened up the possibility of working with the EIB, just like the major metropolitan areas. This enables us to address the major challenges of our time — particularly climate change — more effectively.”

President of Plan Bâtiment Durable Philippe Pelletier concluded: “In November 2019, the Communauté Pays Basque became the 137 th signatory to Plan Bâtiment Durable's tertiary charter, demonstrating its strong commitment to the energy transition of its tertiary sector buildings. This ambitious partnership between the EIB and the Communauté Pays Basque shows just how proactive the metropolitan community is, and will enable it to take the actions needed to put itself on the path to carbon neutrality by 2050.”

Background information:

About the European Investment Bank 

As the EU climate bank, the EIB aims to encourage the emergence and deployment of innovations to meet ongoing challenges such as the energy transition to a new low-carbon growth model. In 2021, the EIB put more than two-thirds of its €9.2 billion of investments in France towards climate action projects, including €3.85 billion to finance public infrastructure that is more energy-efficient and better for the environment.

About the Communauté d’Agglomération Pays Basque

With 158 municipalities across 3 000 km 2 , the Communauté Pays Basque is France's biggest metropolitan community in terms of both size and number of municipalities. Its population of 320 000 is the second highest in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region after Bordeaux Métropole. Beyond the basic policies of a metropolitan community (climate/air/energy, economic development, urban planning, mobility, water and wastewater, and waste collection), it has also adopted policies not imposed by law. It pursues proactive policies in areas such as sustainable agriculture and food, the development of higher education and research, and coastline and the ocean. It officially recognised Basque and Gascon as languages within its territory alongside French. These specific features give it a key role in public sector action.

About Plan Bâtiment Durable 

Launched by the French government in January 2009, Plan Bâtiment Durable (Sustainable Building Plan), led by Philippe Pelletier, brings together a broad network of stakeholders in building and real estate around a shared goal: promoting the achievement of the sector’s energy and environmental efficiency objectives. Plan Bâtiment Durable enables ongoing consultation within the sector and demonstrates the continued mobilisation of national and regional stakeholders. It can thereby make proposals to the government.

Add new comment