The Basque Country currently generates just 7.9 percent of its total electricity consumption through renewable sources, trailing far behind a European average that sits at 46.9 percent. To confront this deficit, the Basque Government is launching a citizens’ assembly scheduled to begin in November 2026 and run through June 2027.
Civic Random Selection to Reflect the Basque Population
The Basque Government’s Office for Energy Transition and Climate Change is organizing the pilot project to determine how much renewable energy production should increase and what criteria should be used to decide where to place the new installations necessary to achieve it. The process kicks off with 20,000 invitation letters sent to residents across the region, selected through civic sampling conducted in collaboration with Eustat, the Basque Statistics Institute. From those who voluntarily register, a second random draw will select 32 participants to form the final assembly.
Organizers structured this selection to ensure a balanced representation across different ages, territories, and sociocultural profiles without requiring prior technical knowledge. Participants will spend five in-person sessions between November 2026 and February 2027 reviewing evidence and listening to an accompanying expert committee. This group will present diverse perspectives covering energy transition, climate change, industry, the economy, and the territory.
Balancing Territorial Protection With Energy Autonomy
Energy autonomy functions as a strategic necessity for Europe and the Basque Country amid current geopolitical conditions. Yet, expanding generation capacity requires careful coordination between industrial competitiveness and the preservation of the local territory. The assembly’s final report, due in June 2027, will deliver recommendations to the Basque Government for shaping future energy planning.
This collaborative governance model integrates the voice of citizens directly into institutional policymaking. By pairing public deliberation with technical expertise, the Basque administration aims to build shared solutions for long-term regional well-being, employment generation, and industrial resilience.
