A new project in our country launches a campaign to limit energy poverty and support energy cooperatives
Energy poverty and energy insecurity are important topics because in Bulgaria many people are still not ready to talk about the problem and identify themselves as energy vulnerable. This was said by Elitsa Kapusheva, a member of the team of the NGO "Orion Grid". This year, the organization is launching the "Solidarity for Energy" project - a two-year initiative that will work at the local, national and pan-European levels. The project combines activities to raise awareness, build knowledge and strengthen solidarity, with the aim of eliminating energy poverty and insecurity, problems that have a disproportionate negative impact on groups in society, including refugees and migrants in Europe.
Today begins the first major event, part of the Women in Solidarity for Energy (WISE) project, Kapusheva announced, quoted by BTA. According to her, Orion Grid supports both activists and formal and informal organizations working on the topic. The project is co-financed by the European Commission, and the part implemented in Bulgaria also receives support from the European Climate Foundation.
Elitsa Kapusheva stressed that the topic of energy poverty is extremely important. However, there are no accurate statistics on the number of people affected in Bulgaria. "Since last year, Bulgaria has had a definition of energy poverty, but it is very difficult to use in practice," she answered a question from BTA about the progress in the liberalization process in our country. According to her, the reason is the complex formula, which includes a number of factors such as the number of people in the household and their income. Kapusheva believes that this complexity often leads to distancing those affected. She added that in addition to people in poverty, energy vulnerable are also those who not only experience economic difficulties but also have problems with securing adequate energy.
The aim of the "Energy Solidarity" project is to mobilize both people affected by energy poverty and those working for change - including energy cooperatives. "It is very useful that we are working with colleagues from other countries where consumer access to energy has been liberalized, which in the Bulgarian case can lead to many problems for the most vulnerable people," Kapusheva commented.
The two-year project will have as its main goal the collection of information about the needs of the affected people. With the active participation of researchers and activists, proposals will be developed that will be useful to politicians at the local, national and pan-European levels. "Our goal is not only to work on the ground with people, which is extremely valuable, but also to create a document that will support the creation and implementation of effective policies," Kapusheva explained.
The WISE event, held at Boyana Residence, brought together participants from over 20 countries. Some of the guests will participate as panelists or lead practical workshops. Among them are human rights defenders and experts who work with homeless people and institutions offering social housing. One of the key panels is dedicated to the topic "Is the right to energy a human right?", informs Elitsa Kapusheva from the Orion Grid team.