Conurbant

D4.4. Report on SEAPs Collection

09/05/2014

Category: Public deliverables

User: Primăria Municipiului Timişoara

Within the frame of the CONURBANT project, 45 municipalities and towns  over Europe joined Covenant of Mayors initiative, besides other 7 municipalities and towns that signed the adhesion before starting  CONURBANT Project.  The main driver force was the collective interest to find different paths to reduce local energy consumption improve living environment and reduce the CO2 emissions in the different municipalities. In order to reach specific objective of Covenant of Mayors, i.e. at least 20% reduction of CO2 emissions, Sustainable Energy Actions Plans (SEAPs) were developed in each municipality.

In order to develop qualitative SEAPs, series of specific activities, beginning with the support for the Conurbation towns, in view of preparing baseline emission inventory (BEI), organising energy forums and drafting SEAP were followed and implemented.

In total 52 SEAPs in 10 conurbation areas in 7 countries covering a population of more than 1,5 million inhabitants were developed. According to the SEAPs, they will deliver reduction of more than 2 million tonnes of CO2 until 2020.  More than 1.5 billion EURO will be needed in order to implement measures to reduce energy consumption.

Currently, 50 SEAPs have been officially approved with the decisions of the Local Councils. Thus the SEAPs have become a political commitment, an integral part of economic, social and environmental policies of the respective municipalities. Two SEAPs are under approval procedure.

The developed SEAPs focused mainly on those sectors identified as being responsible for the largest share of CO2 emissions in the municipalities and which the local public authorities can implement: actions that might be undertaken to reduce CO2 emissions, energy consumption and to use renewable energy sources.  The residential sector has also been focused on as key sector in the development of the SEAPs.

In the SEAP development and implementation activities, aspects such communication, networking, citizen responsibility and involvement have been taken into account.  At the same time, actions and measures concerning adaptation to climate changes effects have a distinct place in the set of actions within each SEAP. In this way, SEAP developed and the measures already implemented under the Project CONURBANT is a prerequisite for sustainable development of the cities and their conurbation towns,  signatories to  the Covenant of Mayors.

The report reviews the relevant aspects related to the SEAPs developed in all conurbation areas of CONURBANT Project, including specific aspects of long term visions, objectives, key sectors and targets, organizational and financial aspects, in strong connection to commitment undertaken by all partners, to achieve the major goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy, concerning “20/20/20 climate/energy targets”.

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