The Ekiola Mendialdea the first citizens' cooperative in the Basque Country to produce energy

• The cooperative members will benefit from a stable energy price over the next 25 years, set at 31.56 €/MWh, which is highly competitive with respect to the conventional commercialisation price.

• Works begins in Agurain on Lautadako Ekiola, which is due to come into operation in April.

Ekiola Mendialdea, the Basque solar energy production cooperative located in the municipality of Arraia-Maeztu in Alava, has completed its grid connection after six months of work, and is now producing renewable energy to supply the citizens who have joined this pioneering initiative to produce and consume km 0 electricity. This Ekiola is the first in the Basque Country to produce energy.

The Regional Minister for Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment, Arantxa Tapia, and the General Deputy of Araba, Ramiro González, inaugurated the solar park together with the President of the Cuadrilla de Montaña Alavesa, Eduardo Ruiz de Loizaga, the mayoress of Arraia-Maeztu, Gemma Ramos, the general manager of the Basque Energy Agency, Iñigo Ansola, and KREAN's promotion director, Asier Etxabe, who showed the technical details of the plant and its energy production flow.

The Mendialdea photovoltaic solar park has an installed capacity of 1.50 MWp (megawatt peak) thanks to a total of 3,000 panels installed to feed cooperative members. Energy production is estimated at 2,118 MWh/year.

The price of Ekiola's energy, which will be stable for the first 25 years of the plant's operation, is 31.56 €/MWh, which is a highly competitive price compared to that offered today by electricity retailers. As an example, the electricity pool price for 31 October was 104.92 €/MWh. Each member has been sent an estimate of their savings, which considering current energy prices is estimated to be considerable.

This project, promoted by EKIOLA (a company of the Basque Energy Agency and KREAN), and with the support of the Provincial Council of Alava, has represented an investment of 2.25 M€ and has received funding from the European MRR funds through the CE Implementa programme. Each dwelling is allowed to associate a volume of energy equivalent to its consumption, which to date has meant that the average contribution per dwelling does not exceed 1,500 euros. More than 64 members/families are already members of the cooperative, and thanks to the high production capacity of the plant, in the next few days the process of membership will be opened up beyond the Cuadrilla de Montaña Alavesa and the project will be extended to small traders, the self-employed and farms in the first sector, as well as to Vitoria-Gasteiz in a progressive manner.

Arantxa Tapia pointed out the importance of changing the energy model and for citizens to become empowered and actively participate in the use of renewable resources available in our environment, as one of the main ways for the Energy Transition. She also highlighted the opportunity for the environment, industry and rural areas to have green energy at highly competitive prices.

For his part, the General Deputy of Alava highlighted the opportunity that Ekiola offers the different Cuadrillas in Alava where it is implemented to participate in renewable generation and obtain economic and environmental improvements in their energy supply, "A self-management model that can reach 700 families in the Mendialdea region and that will be able to cover the future needs of 4,200 families in Alava for green, renewable and kilometre 0 energy consumption when the remaining Ekiolas in Alava come into operation".

Ekiola Lautada, installation works begins

The processes for the creation of EKIOLA cooperatives in different Cuadrillas in Alava are continuing. On 2 November last, the Lautadako Ekiola Assembly was held in Agurain to integrate the new members into the project, and work has already begun on the project, which is expected to start production in April.

The Gorbeialdeko Ekiola assembly will be held in December, also coinciding with the start of the works, and assemblies will gradually be held for the other groups in Alava, once their projects have matured. Aiarako Ekiola will start work at the beginning of 2024.

In the rest of the Basque Country, Leintz Bailarako Ekiola (in Arrasate-Mondragón) and Azpeitiko EKINDAR will start producing energy in the coming months, and with the start of the new year, works will begin in Zumaia and Lea Artibai.

About Ekiola

EKIOLA is the result of public-private collaboration between the Basque Energy Agency and the engineering company KREAN, part of the MONDRAGON Corporation. The aim of the initiative is to create energy communities so that it is the citizens themselves who generate 100% of the electricity they need to cover their needs. In addition, the co-operative functions as a legal instrument for tackling the energy future in accordance with their own ideas, and its members do not have to change any aspect of their domestic electrical installation.

The installation of the solar park has a 25-year guarantee of operation and performance, so that the energy generated will have a stable price during this period, which is a significant benefit in the face of the changes that occur in this situation of high energy prices.

For more information, please visit www.ekiola.eus