Commissioner for Environment and Planning participates in Clean Energy for EU Islands Forum in Mallorca

Commissioner for Environment and Planning participates in Clean Energy for EU Islands Forum in Mallorca

Published June 02, 2026

The Clean Energy for EU Islands initiative aims to provide technical assistance and strategic guidance to European islands in developing renewable energy systems and improving energy efficiency. By supporting innovation, collaboration, and sustainable planning, the initiative seeks to accelerate a just energy transition while addressing the particular environmental and spatial challenges faced by island communities.

During the third week of May, the Commissioner for Environment and Planning within the Office of the Ombudsman participated in the Clean Energy for EU Islands Forum held in Mallorca. The Forum focused on aligning governments, regulators, communities, and industry stakeholders towards a fair and inclusive energy transition.

The Commissioner participated in a session advocating a “waste-to-value” approach rather than limiting discussions solely to waste-to-energy, emphasising that waste management should incorporate material recovery, reuse, and circular economy principles beyond energy generation alone.

The Forum also included several technical visits, notably to the Rifugio Climativo Son Oliva School, where a photovoltaic canopy supplies energy to surrounding communities, and to the Green H2 facility in Lloseta, where hydrogen is produced using electricity generated from an onsite photovoltaic farm and water formerly utilised by a nearby disused cement factory.

The Commissioner additionally participated in discussions among national and regional authorities and regulators, highlighting the importance of Ombudsman institutions in accelerating environmental targets through independent oversight and practical recommendations. Examples discussed included proposals for subsidising household water filtration systems, consolidating development footprints to create larger roof spaces suitable for photovoltaic installations, and introducing stricter environmental and planning regulations on islands due to their limited spatial capacity.

The Commissioner also attended a workshop entitled “Innovative Applications of Photovoltaic Technology”, which focused particularly on island and non interconnected systems. The workshop included a site visit to a floating photovoltaic installation at Consell, located on a grey water reservoir.