The Municipality of Hechtel-Eksel in Belgium has officially launched a new collaboration with the Smart Cities Marketplace, following its successful application for 1-to-1 technical assistance in April 2025.
The partnership aims to support the energy-efficient renovation of the municipality’s sports hall, a key local facility originally constructed in the early 1980s. With support from the Smart Cities Marketplace experts, Hechtel-Eksel is working to identify the most suitable renovation technologies, ranging from biomass boilers to heat pumps, as well as financing and funding opportunities. The team is also supporting the preparation of a robust application for European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) subsidies.
The project was initiated during an online handshaking meeting on 8 May 2025, bringing together local representatives from Hechtel-Eksel with experts from the Smart Cities Marketplace. This collaboration underscores Hechtel-Eksel’s commitment to its Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) and its role as a signatory of the Covenant of Mayors, reaffirming the municipality’s ambition to lead on climate action at the local level.