Category: News room

Hammamet – Within the activities of the meetMED II project (Mitigation Enabling Energy Transition in the Mediterranean Region), funded by the European Union, the third edition of the meetMED Weeks took place in Hammamet, Tunisia between 22 – 24 April. The three-day event brought together more than 250 energy experts representing officials, policymakers, stakeholders, municipalities, and private sector from the Mediterranean region with the aim of promoting the energy and climate transition.

 The third edition of the meetMED Weeks, funded by the European Union, was organised by the Tunisian National Agency for Energy Control (ANME), in partnership with the Algerian National Agency for the Promotion and Rationalisation of Energy Use (APRUE). The event provided a platform for exchange of experiences and to explore avenues of cooperation between the Southern Neighbourhood countries in the field of energy efficiency, with a particular focus on the buildings and appliances sector.

During the opening plenary, Fethi Hanchi, General Director of ANME stressed the importance of national and international cooperation to achieve greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and to minimise the impacts of energy price fluctuations on the Tunisian economy. He also described the agency’s efforts to prepare a platform for assessing the carbon footprint of industrial products, scheduled to be operational by the end of the year. 

Likewise, Merouane Chabane, General Director of APRUE underlined the strong commitment of Algeria, with its regional partners, for the promotion of energy efficiency, and for the development of decarbonisation policies within the context of sustainable development.

Cristina Casella, Programme Manager – Climate Action, DG NEAR, European Commission, recognized the importance of the meetMED Week, as a flagship event in the South Mediterranean to discuss how best to advance the energy transition in the region. Casella also recalled that the energy transition is at the top of the EU agenda driven by EU’s climate objectives with the European Green deals ambition to achieve a 55% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.

From her side, Milou Beerepoot, Programme Manager – Energy,  DG NEAR, EU Commission, highlighted the European Union support to just energy transition policies in the southern Mediterranean and how different types of instruments, varying from technical assistance to financial support, can foster a just energy transition.  She illustrated this with a few examples of EU supported regional projects that offer contributions to a fair and equitable energy transition.

Jauad El Kharraz the Executive Director of the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) pointed out that the support of the European Commission has been fundamental to mainstream energy efficiency efforts in the Mediterranean. “We definitely need more support in the next period to continue consolidating our member states and the national agencies in their energy transition journey” El Kharraz added.

Roberta Boniotti, the Secretary General of the Mediterranean Association of National Energy Management Agencies (MEDENER), further added “we are currently focusing on supporting the member countries in their efforts to achieve energy efficiency and renewable energy. In the second phase of the project, our focus was on the building sector, which plays a significant role in energy efficiency since it is one of the most energy-consuming sectors”.

Throughout 16 sessions, the conference offered participants multiple opportunities for active engagement, with high-level sessions and technical parallel sessions to reflect on implementing Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy measures, focusing on Buildings and Appliances, and demonstrating successful pilot projects led by partners.

Discussion topics included how collaborative work can enhance energy transition in the Mediterranean region, stimulating dialogue towards net zero emissions in the building sector, and presenting innovative financing mechanisms to foster investments in sustainable energy. One session also explored synergies between the meetMED and the PeebMED projects, both EU-funded programs.

The event was concluded by a workshop training session on energy transitions for journalists followed by two site visits at Municipality of Nabeul and Sky Energy Company.

Background:

The second edition of meetMED Week 2023, that took place in Marrakech, Morocco from 09 to 11 May, witnessed the announcement of the fourteen Mediterranean cities selected for the twining agreements. The thee-day conference, is the meetMED largest annual event, funded by the European Union, aimed at fostering the regional cooperation for the energy and climate transition in the Mediterranean countries.

The announcement came during one of the meetMED Week sessions devoted to the role of local authorities in the energy transition, bringing together representatives of Mediterranean cities – Lisbon (Portugal), Sahab (Jordan), and Tata (Morocco) – and the SEACAP4SDG and CLIMAMED projects.

During the session, Portuguese Energy Agency  (ADENE) presented the 14 selected cities and the 6 partnerships identified, namely those that join Lisbon in Portugal with Al-Karak and Sahab in Jordan, Palmela in Portugal and Tata in Morocco, San Lucido in Italy and Moukhtara in Lebanon, Gozo in Malta and El Kef Lahmar in Algeria, Grevena in Greece to Abasan Al-Kabira in Palestine, as well as Grenoble in France with Sfax and Bizerte, both in Tunisia. A Spanish town and Cairo are still expected to join these partnerships.

Following the selection processes, the next steps will include signing Memorandums of Understanding with the cities, after which the Action Plans for each partnership will be prepared. These plans will address energy self-consumption, urban rehabilitation and renovation of buildings, the water-energy nexus, passive climate change mitigation measures, as well as actions to raise awareness and boost public participation.

Notably, the call for applications for meetMED twinning agreements was launched in January under project’s activity dedicated to promoting cooperation between cities in the north and south of the Mediterranean Basin region. Under the Portuguese Energy Agency (ADENE) leadership, the twinning agreements intend to promote dialogue, exchanging knowledge and experiences, and regional cooperation on energy efficiency in buildings.

For more information, please contact:

Mrs. Inês Mendes

meetMED II activity leader

Manager Email: ines.mendes@adene.pt

Amman – 17 March 2023

The meetMED project, funded by the European Union, and supported by the Mediterranean Association of National Agencies for Energy Management (MEDENER) & the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE), in close cooperation with the Royal Scientific Society organized a four-day national consultation mission on appliances scrapping from 14 – 17 March 2023 in Jordan.

The mission’s objective was to obtain more information about the Jordanian scrapping and recycling industry and identify the potential of collecting, recycling, and marketing the materials from scrapped appliances, in addition, to focusing on the types of appliances collected and the existing programs that may support such market.

During the consultation mission, meetMED experts met representatives from the Ministry of Environment (MoE), Jordan Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fund (JREEEF), UNDP Jordan, Royal Scientific Society, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and E-Tafkek company.

The first day was centered around making acquaintance with the existing policies and regulations for appliances scrapping in Jordan, learning about types and amounts of appliances covered under these policies, and social and environmental guidelines for health and safety. In a lively panel discussion, participants were able to put all their questions to Jordanian officials from the MoE about future national plans for WEEE sector management. Hereafter, the delegation visited Jordan Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fund (JREEEF) premises, where they learned about the existing market for appliances scrapping and recycling, facilities dealing with appliances, and the main barriers and challenges facing this sector.

On the second day, the delegation was received by the UNDP Jordan office and had the opportunity to foster the potential cooperation between RCREEE,RSS, and UNDP for the enforcement of existing policies and possible awareness campaigns and had the chance to look back on the challenges facing the development partners and the investors in Jordan. The day was closed with a fruitful meeting at the Royal Scientific Society to understand the main types of recycled materials and the opportunity to export in addition to the alignment of efforts in the cross-cutting projects.

On the third and final day, the meetMED delegation visited Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) premises in Jordan and went on a field visit to E-Tafkek company. These field visits revealed that important steps are being made in the private sector to recycle. 

This consultation mission shows that Jordan aspires to creative environmental solutions in all sectors, in particular in the field of household appliances.

For more information, please contact:
Ms. Asmaa AHMED
meetMED II Communication Manager
Email: asmaa.ahmed@rcreee.org

15^th November 2022 – Sharm El-Sheikh

 The meetMED project (Mitigation Enabling Energy Transition in the Mediterranean region), an EU-funded project, developed by the Mediterranean Association of the National Agencies for Energy Management (MEDENER) and the Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) was fortunate to co-organize and participate in seven side-event sessions at the 27th edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) hosted in the green city of Sharm El-Sheikh this year. 

COP27 is the world’s most important conference about climate change, bringing together partners from the public and private sectors, civil society, and academia to accelerate action toward the goals of the Paris Agreement and to strengthen climate action.

Kicking off meetMED’s presence on November 7, 2022, where the Mediterranean pavilion hosted a high-level dialogue on Boosting Energy Efficient Buildings in the Mediterranean Region, Cristina Casella, Programme Manager – Climate Action, DG NEAR, European Commission said “I am very honored to be part of the discussions today that are dedicated to a very important issue about energy efficiency in buildings. Shifting towards more energy efficient buildings is an absolutely a priority. Renovating both public and private buildings has actually been singled out in the European Green Deal as a key initiative to drive energy efficiency in the sectors and to deliver in the goal of climate due triality. Through our various bilateral and regional cooperation programmes as well as through our blending facilities which combine grant funding with loans, the EU is supporting partner countries in implementing concrete energy efficiency measures in the buildings and other sectors. The meetMED programme funded by the European Union, supports the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in the buildings and appliances sectors and also aims to raise public awareness of the energy transition and it also tries to harmonize policies and strategies – as well as accelerate public and private sectors involvement in the sector.”

In his opening remarks, Dr. Jauad El Kharraz, the Executive Director of the Regional Center for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency (RCREEE), shared the sense of urgency regarding climate action “Welcome to the RCREEE pavilion, the first of its kind in the history of the COP. RCREEE and its member states are unwavering commitments to supporting swift decarbonization that has now become a prerequisite not only for saving the planet from climate disasters but also for adjusting and inclusive energy transition at a global level. We are very pleased to host meetMED side events highlighting the implementation of energy efficiency measures in the project’s beneficiary countries, focusing on the Building and the Appliances sectors”.

From his side, Giorgio Graditi,  the President of the Mediterranean Association of the National Agencies for Energy Management (MEDENER), focused on the importance of meetMED participation at COP27 as a global platform for communication between regional and international partners about climate crisis “ It’s a unique opportunity to highlight the commitment of the meetMED project to support energy efficiency in buildings and appliances, as well as to strengthening the cooperation with our partners to raise awareness and increase climate actions in the Mediterranean region with the support of the European Commission”.

“In the meetMED project, MEDENER and RCREEE are working to enable the energy transition in the Mediterranean Region. The launch event of the new PEEB Med programme at the COP27, organised by the AFD and supported by the Union for the Mediterranean, opened a very fruitful dialogue between our organisations, fostering the future of our partnership in the Mediterranean Region” declared Roberta Boniotti, the Secretary General of MEDENER.

Throughout the conference, meetMED organized seven side events at the RCREEE and Mediterranean pavilions at the conference blue zone in Sharm el-Sheikh. These events addressed a broad range of climate-related issues, such as resilience, adaptation and mitigation actions for the building sector, energy efficiency sustainable finance and business models, awareness raising, district cooling and monitoring and evaluation of energy efficiency public policies.

 About meetMED:

 The Mitigation Enabling Energy Transition in the Mediterranean region (meetMED) project is an EU-funded project, developed by the Mediterranean Association of the National Agencies for Energy Management (MEDENER) and the Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE).

Following the success of its first phase (MEETMED I, from 2018-2020), meetMED project commences its second phase aiming at strengthening the decarbonisation of national energy mixes and the implementation of energy efficiency measures in buildings and appliances through a multiscale, multi-partner and inclusive approach at local and regional levels, thereby fostering regional cooperation among 8 Southern Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia).

For more information and media inquiries, please contact:

Ms. Asmaa Ahmed – meetMED Communication Manager

Email: asmaa.ahmed@rcreee.org

Paris – 7 September 2022

In the context of meetMED’s Regional Capacity Development Program on District Cooling, the Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) in cooperation with the Mediterranean Association of the National Agencies for Energy Management (MEDENER) & Ademe, the French Ecological Transition Agency organized a regional consultation workshop on 7^th September 2022 in Paris.

As the world shifts toward Sustainability and a Greener Future, it is essential to stay relevant and competitive in the market, as well as stay up to date on the Emerging Cooling Technologies and Evolving District Cooling Trends. District Cooling is a significant energy efficient technology to provide air conditioning and cooling for buildings in entire communities, cities and developments and it is used in large scale throughout the world since more than 20 years.

The workshop – held under meetMED, a Euro-Mediterranean project funded by the European Union – aimed to introduce the existing technologies and experiences in the northern and southern Mediterranean countries, reinforcing knowledge and expertise on district cooling technologies and financing, optimal operations, performances, and implementation mechanisms.

Bringing together key stakeholders representing our beneficiary countries (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Palestine), and development partners from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

During the meeting, UNEP’s experts showcased the District Energy in Cities Initiative, which works under the (UNEP) umbrella and aims to bring together stakeholder groups with diverse capabilities and expertise to deliver market transformation and accelerated uptake of district energy.

The experts also pointed to the potential of district cooling to increase energy efficiency in the Mediterranean region, including district energy systems for heating & cooling and multiple benefits for cities. The event was an opportunity to present the  best practices applied in Tunisia and the feasibility assessment of the El Alamein plant in Egypt.

Aiming to increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental impacts, the EBRD expert stated business models in district cooling systems and financing approaches. With an- annual savings of 40,450 MWh of electricity, the key insights of Jordan’s first District Heating and Cooling plant, “Abdali,” financed by the EBRD, were reviewed.

One day earlier, the workshop participants had a chance to visit Fraîcheur de Paris, one of the giant district cooling plants in Europe that recently undertook upgrading measures and can serve as inspiration for other DC systems striving to become more efficient.

These examples of knowledge exchange are needed and will lead to a stepwise improvement of district cooling technologies implementation in the Mediterranean region, thereby contributing significantly to facing the climate change crisis.

Finally, the cooperation with UNEP and EBRD will continue in the first semester of 2023 with additional knowledge sharing sessions and webinars.

For more information, please contact:
Ms. Asmaa AHMED
meetMED II Communication Manager
Email: asmaa.ahmed@rcreee.org