Work in Progress: Climate and Energy Planning in Dobele County, Latvia

Work on the Dobele County Climate and Energy Action Plan is continuing as part of the Enercracy project. The project provides an opportunity to develop the first joint Climate and Energy Action Plan covering the entire Dobele County. The project also supports Dobele Municipality in strengthening its climate and energy planning, with a particular focus on self-consumption of energy and the expansion of renewable energy production.

From three separate plans to one joint plan

As part of Latvia’s administrative territorial reform in 2021, the former municipalities of Auce, Dobele and Tērvete were merged to form the current Dobele County.

Before the reform, the three municipalities had separate energy planning documents. Dobele and Tērvete each had an Energy Action Plan for 2018 to 2025, while Auce had two plans: an Energy Action Plan for 2018–2025 and a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan for 2021–2030.

The plan developed within the Enercracy project will be the first Climate and Energy Action Plan covering the whole of Dobele County. It will bring the previously separate territories into one planning framework and provide a joint overview of the energy situation, priorities and future activities.

Selecting activities for Dobele County

The elaboration process of the plan includes development of the description of energy sector of Dobele county,  energy data collection and analysis, setting the targets and the selection of activities that are relevant to Dobele County. One of the  resources used in this process is the Model Catalogue of Measures for Energy Plans. It brings together different activities and practical solutions that municipalities can review and adapt to their local needs.

Measures included in the Model Catalogue of Measures for Energy Plans was discussed with the relevant specialists of Dobele County Municipality and activities considered suitable for Dobele County were selected from the Catalogue for the Dobele Plan. The discussions focused on how well the activities would match the local situation, current needs and future development priorities. This work helps to identify which activities should be considered further during the preparation of the joint Dobele Energy and Climate Plan.

Current stage and next steps

In summer months of 2026 the work on the different sections of the plan is continuing. The energy data have been collected and are now being processed and analysed. This work will provide a clearer picture of the current energy situation across the whole territory of Dobele County and will be the basis for the further development of the plan.

The next important step is planned for autumn 2026, when the first draft version of Dobele Energy and Climate Plan will be presented to members of Dobele County Council for their review and feedback to have the plan rooted among the politicians.

It is great to see the energy sector information and data being pulled together in one document, reconsidered for the needs of the county economy and green transition, and being shaped for sustainable future.

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