What is START?
START provides tailored, short-term support to coal+ regions across a wide array of transition topics. It assists efforts to decarbonise energy production and usage, diversify economic activities, and progress social development in regions and communities that are heavily affected by the transition away from fossil fuels.
START can help overcome shortcomings in local knowledge and capacities in areas such as: strategy development, governance, stakeholder consultation and engagement, community cohesion and resilience, and project identification and assessment. It can be used to fill knowledge or capacity gaps and to complement other technical assistance and capacity-building instruments.
What can START provide?
START provides tailored support to assist coal+ regions, sub-regions, and local communities in achieving a just transition away from fossil fuel-based activities. Support typically spans 50-100 “person days” delivered over 6-10 months.
START is a demand-led service tailored to the needs of recipients. It builds capacity across a wide array of topics, from developing a comprehensive transition strategy and pipeline of projects, to providing advice on specific topics like skills and employment, renewable energy, repurposing of brownfield sites, social development and inward investment. By way of illustration, START can provide support in areas such as (non-exhaustive list):
- analysis of regional challenges, opportunities, and priorities
- identification and dissemination of good-practice and lessons from comparable regions that are undergoing or have undergone similar transitions
- stakeholder consultations leading to a strong degree of involvement and ownership
- capacity building for regional and/or local administrations and/or civil society groups
- design of transparent, inclusive, and efficient governance and partnership processes
- formulation or enhancement of strategies for a just energy transition and economic diversification
- identification and prioritisation of transition-related projects and creation of project pipeline
- development of initial project fiches and related action plans (roadmaps)
- identification of financing opportunities for the pipeline of transition projects
- communications support to engage and inform stakeholders on the local energy transition process.
START achievements
START technical assistance delivered so far has covered a wide range of transition-related thematic areas and topics, notably including strategy development, governance, stakeholder consultation and engagement, community cohesion and resilience, and project identification and assessment.
Four new START recipients selected
Following the open call for coal, peat, lignite and oil shale regions (‘coal+ regions’), four applications have been selected to receive technical assistance from the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition’s START programme. This third round of START support will run from the spring of this year into early 2025. The four selected regions are:
● Asturias, Spain
● Gorj, Romania
● Lower Silesia (Świdnica), Poland
● Zasavje, Slovenia
The Secretariat looks forward to engaging with these regions to support just transition efforts there.
Supported regions
Click through the fields below to access outputs and additional information about START support, which may help guide your own regions’ transition.
START provided support to the Government of the Principality of Asturias (Directorate-General of Energy, Mining and after-coal Development) and the Regional Energy Agency (FAEN) for the development of a regional energy transition strategy and for the identification and prioritisation of transition-related projects.
Documents and outcomes
START is working with the Principality of Asturias to shape and enhance the operation and future development of the Asturian Just Transition Observatory. It is also providing advice to facilitate local companies' access to finance for just transition related investments.
Documents and outcomes
START provided guidance, research and support to NGOs (Europe, a Patient and WOES) to facilitate co-operative and social economy development in communities affected by coal phase-out.
Documents and outcomes
- polski
- polski
START is providing Gorj County Council with support to enhance the effectiveness of the local working group that is responsible for co-ordinating and monitoring the transition process in Gorj County. In addition, the support will develop an initial inventory of key strategic project ideas and develop several related project fiches.
Documents and outcomes
START provided research, advice and consultation assistance to the trade union, BDSZ, on green diversification and adaptation in Heves County to create jobs for workers affected by lignite phase-out, whilst considering support measures for older workers.
Documents and outcomes
- magyar
START provided support to the Jiu Valley Partnership for Just Transition (representing the six territorial units of the Jiu Valley) for the identification, design, and development of priority transition projects, alongside assessing the accompanying governance and capacity development requirements for promotion and implementation of transition projects.
Documents and outcomes
- română
START provided support to the Government of Karlovy Vary Region (Karlovarský kraj) and the Association for the development of the Microregion Sokolov – East. The support focussed on the following main thematic areas: employment opportunities and future skills needs; renewable energy supply and energy efficiency prospects; and viable approaches to sub-regional economic development and employment creation.
Documents and outcomes
START provided support for the identification and prioritisation of just transition projects in several local economies in Lower Silesia and supported partnership working to enable development of project concepts to access public funding.
Documents and outcomes
START is providing support to the Association leading the Świdnica Renewable Energy Cluster to further develop cluster's activities with a focus on education, communication and involvement of stakeholders in energy transition.
Documents and outcomes
START provided support to the Marshal Office of Małopolska Region and to various promoters of local transition projects to help develop demonstration transition projects in mining municipalities.
Documents and outcomes
- polski
- polski
- polski
- polski
- polski
START provided support to the Just Transition Plan Technical Secretariat to assess opportunities to build on local assets to create a new economy in Megalopolis. Support focussed on: employment and skills; micro-entrepreneurship and start-ups; investment attraction and technology transfer; and governance and capacity-building.
Documents and outcomes
START provided support to the Midlands Regional Transition Team for the identification of transition projects and the planning and coordination of transition-related activities. The support focussed on: community consultation; transition project identification and assessment; employment opportunities and skills needs; and transition planning and monitoring.
Documents and outcomes
START provided guidance and support to Offaly County Council and other local actors (including the newly Created Technology University of the Shannon) for the creation of a new partnership model to facilitate a Just Transition in communities affected by peat phase-out.
Documents and outcomes
START provided support to national and regional administrations for the promotion and development of energy communities in Sulcis-Iglesiente and, in turn, used these activities as a catalyst for fostering transition dialogue among local stakeholders, and for formulating transition governance and coordination options.
Documents and outcomes
START provided support to the Marshal Office of Silesia Voivodeship for the development of a method (framework) for the identification, assessment, and prioritisation of options for the rehabilitation and repurposing of mining and other brownfield sites.
Documents and outcomes
- polski
START returned to Silesia in 2023 to provide support to the Marshal's Office of the Silesian Voivodeship to strengthen their transition communication. This included conducting a survey to assess communication needs, reviewing the region's just transition website, and creating a Handbook that will enable the region to craft, implement and monitor a transition-specific communications strategy.
Documents and outcomes
- polski
- polski
START provided support to the Stara Zagora Regional Economic Development Agency for the development of a concise, overarching transition narrative and insights on the development and diversification of key sectors that could build on the region’s assets and support a just energy transition.
Documents and outcomes
- български
- български
- български
- български
START is providing support to the Regional Development Agency of Zasavje to develop a narrative and priorities for the region’s diversification and transition from 2028 onwards. It is also giving advice and guidance regarding the region’s circular economy ambitions and plans.
Documents and outcomes
These START recipients represent a diverse cross-section of regions and communities. They differ across features including resource type (hard coal, lignite, peat), socio-economic structure, industrial characteristics (mono-industrial and diversified) and geographic attributes (rural, urban, endowment of natural resources and assets). They are also at different stages of their transition processes. Such regional variety contributes to a rich exchange of transition lessons.
To ensure coordinated and integrated support to START regions, the Secretariat works closely with relevant European Commission partners, including the Directorates-General for Energy, Regional and Urban Policy, and for Structural Reform Support, as well as other providers of support, such as the World Bank.