Melide Residents Leading the Way in Establishing a Community-Controlled Energy Project

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The Galician Wind Observatory participated in a meeting to discuss the goals of local residents in forming the Melide Energy Community (CEM) in the province of A Coruña. Attendees included Xosé Iglesias, Melide’s urban planning councilor, Luís Arosa, mayor of A Illa de Arousa, Xosé Manuel Golpe from the Galician Association of Energy Communities, and Pedro López, spokesperson for the Melide Energy Community. The dialogue between the parties clearly highlighted the strength of the local initiative to develop a community-based project for electricity production.

Melide’s city council expressed its support for the initiative, with a representative stating that the municipality is awaiting for the administrative process to be completed so that a municipal building can be ceded for the installation and a decision can be made regarding the city’s involvement in the CEM. The mayor of A Illa de Arousa shared his experience as the first, and so far only, Galician municipality to have a community-based electricity production facility in which the local government participates. Pedro López and X. M. Golpe emphasized the local, democratic, and transformative nature of the Melide initiative, as well as many others currently underway in villages across Galicia. Xavier Simón, speaking on behalf of the Observatory, advocated for the community energy transition model as a key tool for promoting justice, putting rural communities at the center of this transition. He also noted that, given the innovative and transformative nature of these projects, the development of rural energy communities requires small, steady steps. It is crucial to define business models that are manageable for local communities and feasible in the short term.

A fruitful discussion followed, with all local voices aligned on the need to continue advancing Melide’s energy transformation. They stressed that the required model is not one of large-scale investments by external companies but rather small- to medium-sized initiatives governed and controlled by the local citizens themselves.