This article draws on two years of collaborative research and exchange through the Interreg North Sea COPPER project, complemented by discussions held at the European Conference on City Energy on March 18th 2026 in Ghent. It reflects the collective insights of partner cities, distribution system operators (DSOs), research institutions, and local authorities from across the North Sea region.
Background and framing
Source: Martin Corlazzoli
The energy transition is underway across Europe - but it is not unfolding at the same pace or in the same form in every place. Local governments occupy a pivotal position: they are simultaneously implementers of European and national policy, local policy makers, landowners, conveners of local stakeholders, advocates for their communities, in most cases owners of their distribution networks and in some cases even energy providers. The degree to which each of these roles can be activated depends heavily on national frameworks, available resources, and institutional arrangements.
Four cross-cutting values have emerged from the COPPER-project as essential reference points for any local energy strategy. Regardless of starting point, actions should be assessed against whether they advance a transition that is:
- Green: aligned with climate and sustainability objectives;
- Equitable: fair in its distribution of costs, benefits, and burdens across all population groups;
- Affordable: avoiding energy poverty and maintaining economic competitiveness for residents and businesses;
- Resilient: building long-term robustness against supply disruptions, price volatility, and infrastructure risks.
This is not a prescriptive list of recommendations. It is a structured list of options from which local governments may select the actions best suited to their legal context, institutional capacity, and political reality. Each option is accompanied by a context consideration to help users assess its relevance to their specific situation. Not every option will be applicable or achievable in every setting.
Source: Martin Corlazzoli
SECTION A | OPTIONS FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
The following options address areas where local governments may have direct leverage - whether through their own assets and procurement, their coordinating role with local stakeholders, or their engagement in policy and planning processes. The appropriate entry point will differ depending on mandate, capacity, and the state of local energy infrastructure.
Invite-only session with political leaders at the European Conference for City Energy.
Image source: Martin Corlazzoli
A.1 Energy Governance and Coordination
OPTION A.1.1 DEVELOP A LOCAL ENERGY ACTION PLAN
Local governments may consider developing a structured Local Energy Action Plan (LEAP) that maps current energy flows, identifies key opportunities for decarbonisation and local value creation, and sets priorities for investment and stakeholder collaboration. A LEAP can serve as a governance instrument to align the actions of the city, DSOs, housing organisations, businesses, and citizens around shared objectives. More information about a LEAP and how the different project partners are implementing it on our website.
Context consideration: This option is most relevant where a city has sufficient internal capacity or access to technical assistance to lead a multi-stakeholder planning process. Cities with limited capacity may benefit from regional collaboration or EU-funded technical assistance instrument.
More: You can find a COPPER – Climate Alliance publication about ‘local Energy Action Planning – techniques for a city-led local energy transition here. More information about the methodology will be published by the end of the project on our website. Please reach out if you want to start working today.
OPTION A.1.2 ESTABLISH A STRUCTURAL COLLABORATION FRAMEWORK WITH THE LOCAL DSO
Where relationships between cities and distribution system operators are currently ad hoc or project-based, local governments should consider formalising collaboration through a joint working structure, data-sharing protocol, or co-planning agreement. Such a framework can facilitate better alignment on grid investment priorities, the influence of local policy’s on the grid, demand flexibility, and congestion management.
Context consideration: The feasibility of this option depends significantly on the regulatory relationship between municipalities and DSOs in the relevant national context. In some countries, DSOs are publicly owned or regionally structured in ways that facilitate close cooperation; in others, regulatory separation may limit the scope of formal arrangements. The importance of this collaboration was emphasised multiple times during the European Conference on City Energy.
More: Want to read more? You can find a COPPER – E.DSO publication about Strengthening city-DSO cooperation for the local energy transition here.
OPTION A.1.3 ASSUME AN ACTIVE STRATEGIC COORDINATOR ROLE IN THE LOCAL ENERGY SYSTEM
Rather than acting solely as an energy consumer or permit authority, cities may choose to assume an active strategic coordinator role - convening stakeholders, facilitating investment, and ensuring that local energy system development serves broad public interest goals. This may include establishing a dedicated energy team or unit within the municipal administration.
Context consideration: This option requires political commitment and sustained administrative capacity. It may be more accessible in larger urban authorities with existing sustainability teams. Smaller municipalities may explore shared service models or inter-municipal cooperation as an alternative pathway.
More: within the COPPER-project there is a publication around City-wide Energy Planning, you can find it here as a inspiration or starting point.
Video message by Matthew Baldwin, DG Energy.
Source: Martin Corlazzoli
A.2 Energy Intelligence and Data
OPTION A.2.1 MAP THE CITY'S ENERGY BILL AND LOCAL ENERGY COSTS
Cities may benefit from developing a overview of the energy costs borne by the municipality, local businesses, residents, and public services. This analysis provides a basis for understanding the economic opportunity of the energy transition, identifying the most impactful intervention points, and building the case for investment.
Context consideration: The depth and feasibility of this analysis will depend on the availability of disaggregated energy consumption and cost data. Where data access is restricted, local governments may wish to advocate for improved data sharing arrangements as a precondition (see Option A.2.2).
More: within the COPPER-Project there is a short publication around the city energy bill, you can find it here as a inspiration or starting point. More information about the city’s energy bill will be published by the end of the project on our website.
OPTION A.2.2 ADVOCATE FOR AND PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL ENERGY DATA SHARING
Effective local energy planning requires access to granular data on consumption, grid capacity, flexibility potential, and costs. Local governments should engage with DSOs, national regulators, and sector bodies to establish data sharing arrangements - whether through formal data platforms, bilateral protocols, or participation in national data governance processes.
Context consideration: Data access regimes vary considerably across EU member states. In some jurisdictions, frameworks for municipal access to aggregated grid data already exist; in others, advocacy at national or EU level may be necessary. Within the COPPER-Project we are working on a oversight off different data sharing methods in different regions.
Source: Martin Corlazzoli
A.3 Municipal Assets and Procurement
OPTION A.3.1 SEE ENERGY AS A CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND THEREFORE HOLD CONTROL
Without stable energy supply, the city comes to a halt. Expensive energy does the same. Cities are no longer just consumers of grid energy. They need to take on an active coordinator role and go from pilots to scale by creating Local Energy Action Plans, using their own assets smart and policy action, this together with key stakeholders like their DSOs, industries, citizens, housing company’s and others.
Context consideration: The scope for this option depends on the size and nature of the municipal asset base, available capital or financing mechanisms, and applicable procurement rules. During the European Conference on City Energy it became clear that different cities are strengthening their role in local energy infrastructure and even production.
OPTION A.3.2 DEPLOY MUNICIPAL ASSETS STRATEGICALLY IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL ENERGY OBJECTIVES
Local governments own a range of assets - buildings, land, vehicles, infrastructure, policy frameworks - that can be leveraged to accelerate the local energy transition. Options include retrofitting municipal buildings to serve as flexibility assets, building Positive Energy Districts through local collaboration, leveraging public charging points to benefit the grid, or using procurement power to stimulate local market development.
Context consideration: The degree of influence a local government has over social housing organisations varies by national and local governance arrangements. Where housing organisations are independent entities, partnership and co-investment models may be more appropriate than directive approaches.
More: We would like to inspire the reader trough the project ASTER, their General Manager Sven Van Elst was panel member during the European Conference on City Energy and their work through solar energy on social housing is an example how to link energy and social objectives. You can find more information here.
Source: Martin Corlazzoli
A.4 Citizen and Stakeholder Engagement
OPTION A.4.1 REPRESENT CITIZENS AND LOCAL BUSINESSES IN ENERGY POLICY PROCESSES
Local governments are well-positioned to translate the needs and priorities of residents and local businesses into input for national energy policy, regulatory review processes, and grid development consultations. Cities may consider establishing formal mechanisms for gathering and aggregating local perspectives and ensuring they are reflected in policy representations at regional, national, and EU levels.
Context consideration: This option is particularly relevant in contexts where national energy policy is being revised or where grid regulation is under review. The effectiveness of this role depends on the degree to which national consultation processes are genuinely open to substantive local government input.
OPTION A.4.2 SUPPORT AND ENABLE ENERGY COMMUNITIES
Energy communities - whether citizen-led, cooperative, or neighbourhood-based - offer a pathway to local participation in the energy transition, with potential benefits for affordability, resilience, and social cohesion. Local governments may consider providing enabling support through planning facilitation, access to public assets, technical assistance, or financial co-investment.
Context consideration: The legal framework governing energy communities differs significantly across EU member states, and not all national transpositions of the Clean Energy Package provide equally fertile ground. Before committing to this option, local governments are encouraged to assess the relevant national regulatory environment and the level of local community interest and organisational capacity.
SECTION C | ADVOCACY POSITIONS TOWARD EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS
Many of the most significant enablers and barriers to local energy action are located at the national level - in legislation, regulation, tariff structures, and institutional design. The following positions represent areas where local governments may wish to advocate collectively or individually for changes that would expand their capacity to act.
Source: Martin Corlazzoli
OPTION B.1 ADVOCATE FOR A NATIONAL VISION FOR A HYBRID ENERGY SYSTEM
Local governments may wish to engage national governments in developing a coherent long-term vision for a hybrid energy system - one that integrates centralised grid infrastructure with neighbourhood-level and building-level energy systems, clarifying the roles and responsibilities of each layer. Such a vision would provide a stable planning environment for local investment and collaboration.
Context consideration: The relevance and urgency of this advocacy will vary depending on whether a national energy system strategy is currently in development, under revision, or absent. In countries where national planning frameworks are well-established, the priority may be to influence their content rather than their existence.
OPTION B.2 ADVOCATE FOR A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR DECENTRALISED ENERGY SYSTEMS
Current regulatory frameworks and financial incentives in many EU member states continue to favour large-scale centralised energy supply over decentralised alternatives. Local governments may advocate for reforms to tariff structures, grid access rules, and subsidy frameworks to enable fair competition between energy supply models and reduce structural barriers to local energy initiatives.
Context consideration: Tariff and regulatory reform is a complex, multi-year process. Local governments are most likely to have impact when engaging through collective bodies - such as national associations of municipalities or cross-border networks - rather than individually. The starting point for advocacy should be a clear diagnosis of the specific regulatory barriers most relevant to local circumstances.
OPTION B.3 ADVOCATE FOR MANDATORY OPEN ACCESS TO ENERGY DATA
Effective local energy planning is contingent on access to relevant data. Local governments should advocate for national legislation or regulatory decisions that establish open data obligations for DSOs and other energy system actors, enabling cities to access the information needed for Local Energy Action Plans, investment decisions, and demand management.
Context consideration: In several EU member states, data governance frameworks are actively being developed or revised, creating timely advocacy opportunities. The specific form of data access most valuable to a given city will depend on its planning priorities and existing data capabilities.
More: Center Denmark and the municipality of Fredericia are partners within the COPPER-Project. Center Denmark is building the digital backbone of a smarter energy future and a inspiring example for other European countries (link).
Source: Martin Corlazzoli
SECTION C | ADVOCACY POSITIONS TOWARD EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS
European legislation and funding frameworks increasingly shape the conditions under which local energy action is possible. The following positions reflect areas where coordinated local government engagement at the EU level could strengthen the foundations for effective local action.
OPTION C.1 ADVOCATE FOR EARLIER AND MORE STRUCTURED CITY INVOLVEMENT IN EU ENERGY LEGISLATION
Cities are frequently the primary implementers of EU energy directives, yet are often consulted only at late stages in the legislative process. Local governments may advocate - individually or through European networks such as Eurocities, Energy Cities, Climate Alliance or the Covenant of Mayors - for mandatory and early local government involvement in the development of EU energy legislation, particularly where implementation will rely substantially on local action.
Context consideration: This is a longer-term systemic advocacy objective that requires sustained engagement through European networks. It is most effectively pursued in conjunction with specific legislative dossiers where local government involvement would make a demonstrable difference to implementation quality.
OPTION C.2 SUPPORT THE STRENGTHENING OF CITIZEN-ORIENTED ENERGY POLICY AT EU LEVEL
The EU has made notable progress in embedding citizen and community participation in energy policy - most notably through the Clean Energy Package provisions on energy communities and consumer rights. Local governments may actively support and amplify this direction, engaging in EU consultation processes and advocating for the continued prioritisation of a just and people-centred transition.
Context consideration: This option requires engagement with EU-level consultation mechanisms and legislative processes. It is particularly relevant when EU energy legislation is under review or revision, and when national transpositions of EU directives are being prepared.
OPTION C.3 ADVOCATE FOR GREATER TRANSPARENCY ON ENERGY PRICING ACROSS MEMBER STATES
Energy prices - including network tariffs, taxes, and levies - vary substantially across EU member states, with significant implications for the competitiveness of decentralised energy solutions. Local governments may support initiatives for greater EU-level transparency and comparability in energy pricing, as a foundation for accountability and eventual convergence.
Context consideration: This is primarily an advocacy position for engagement in EU processes. Local governments may contribute most effectively by sharing concrete examples of how price structures in their jurisdiction affect local energy transition objectives and the feasibility of decentralised energy options.
OPTION C.4 PROVIDE MORE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS TO CITIES BUILDING LOCAL COMPETENCIES
ELENA (European Local ENergy Assistance) grants are a great outcome for cities with ambitious plans but limited resources and capabilities. While cities are accelerating their plans, grants are running low. Cities need the support of the EU to make their local energy transition happen.
Context consideration: Smaller and medium-sized cities are often most constrained by technical capacity and face the greatest barriers to accessing EU funding programmes. Advocacy for simplified access criteria and dedicated support for smaller municipalities is particularly relevant in this context.
Source: Martin Corlazzoli
A note on context and application
The options presented in this document do not represent a single recommended pathway. They reflect the diversity of approaches that local governments across the North Sea region have explored, piloted, or advocated for through the Interreg North Sea COPPER-project and the European Conference on City Energy. The energy transition is not a uniform process - it unfolds differently depending on national governance structures, the maturity of local energy markets, available financing, institutional capacity, and the political will to act.
Local governments are encouraged to use these recommendations as a starting point for their own strategic reflection: to identify which options are most relevant to their context, which preconditions need to be met before certain options become viable, and where collective action with peer cities might amplify individual efforts.