Building Momentum for Energy Transition

In February 2024 Westfjords Regional Development Office (WRDO) launched the first public event within the RECET frame in Ísafjörður Town. Although an open meeting, we especially invited elected officials and municipality staff from the 8 municipalities in the Westfjords. The turn up was good and the meeting overall success, serving the first step in the SECAP ladder to create a political intent to develop a plan.

Later in the spring, a presentation was held at a youth conference to introduce the region’s upcoming SECAP planning. This was followed-up with series of open public events organized within the framework of the regional planning in the Westfjords. Those events with over 300 participants (in a Region of 7200) served to involve the external stakeholder groups in the process, the second step on the SECAP ladder.

Finally in the autumn, WRDO hosted a series of workshops for municipality staff and elected officials, to identify tangible sectorial actions (step 6) and form the expert group as foreseen in step 3.

Simultaneously, WRDO are working on SECAP step 4 to estimate the energy balance and its emissions, through an implementation of a digital system of green bookkeeping for all 8 municipalities (thus covering the municipalities operations) and by getting a consultant to estimate emissions regionally. During this activity WRDO has met with stakeholders over 10 times.