Smolyan

Participating in the +CityxChange project has not only provided the City of Sestao with valuable tools to begin the transition to a more sustainable and energy-efficient city-model, but has also helped to establish long-term objectives, provide motivation to get started and tackle barriers. The groundwork, built over the course of the project, will help the city continue to advance into the future with greater ambition and chances for success. Lessons learned and partnerships made will play an integral part in this. 

Key outcomes and achievements in Sestao:

• Securing approval of the Bold City Vision + Urban Agenda for Sestao
• Becoming a Covenant of Mayors signatory
• Entering the European Energy Efficiency Fund´s (EEEF) Technical Assistance Facility program, worth 200.000€, which directly led to the creation of the €5 million municipal energy efficiency-focused SeSmart project. Includes:
  • 8 photovoltaic installations (several becoming energy communities to meet the electrical demand of Sestao´s PED Demonstration Area 1)
  • modernising old street lighting to LED
  • procuring 8 municipal e-vehicles + 8 e-chargers
  • partially retrofitting 5 public buildings for improved energy efficiency
  • deploying a city-wide energy monitoring platform
• Getting a SECAP approved pledging to reduce 55% of municipal emissions (compared to 2009 baseline) by 2030 (to be achieved thanks to the SeSmart project)
• Celebrating Sestao´s 1st Climathon event and extending the event to the neighbouring cities of Santurtzi and Portugalete
• Securing a €3 million grant for retrofitting with high energy efficiency criteria the Escuela de Aprendices building
• Retrofitting the Casa de Socorro with a €400.000 grant and making it Sestao´s first Visitors Center to promote tourism in the city
• Securing a €60.000 grant for a Sustainable Wiki project that was a result of the +CityxChange Innovation Playground initiative
• Celebrating a strategic multi-stakeholder event aimed to act as a stepping-stone towards the goal of accelerating Sestao in becoming a carbon-neutral city