The Energy Transition and Territory (TeiT) project in Catalonia

Abstract

The era of fossil fuels (which still represent 80% of our energy today) is coming to an end and it is necessary to move towards renewable energy sources. Given their different nature (renewables capture solar radiation today whereas fossils captured it for millions of years over immense extensions), this transition will require about 80 times more territory than is now occupied by our energy facilities. Catalonia is a country with a complex topography and a dense population unequally distributed between sparsely populated rural areas and congested urban areas. Making this new use of the territory compatible, especially with agricultural and forestry activities and with the conservation of ecosystems, will be a key factor requiring new territorial planning. The Energy Transition and Territory (TeiT) project, promoted by CMES, seeks to encourage a collective reflection on this issue among citizens from different places in Catalonia through the local study centres movement driven by the Catalan-Speaking Studies Centres Coordinating Committee (CCEPC) and the Ramon Muntaner Institute (IRMU). Its first meeting was held in 2021 with the study centres of the regions of Ribera d’Ebre, Berguedà and Baix Llobregat, while the second meeting took place in 2022 with the centres of Osona, Alta Ribagorça and La Selva. Presented at the end of the article are the general conclusions reached by the centres of these six regions in 2023.