A total of 22 municipalities in Cantabria have applied for grants from the DUS 5,000 program of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO) which, with funds from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), finances unique renewable energy projects in municipalities of demographic challenge.
Of these 22 municipalities, 12 already have the approval to grant the aid. These are the municipalities of San Vicente de la Barquera, Cabezón de Liébana, Cillorigo de Liébana, Ruiloba, Lamasón, Polaciones, Villafufre, Herrerías, Valdáliga, Valderredible, Villaescusa and Peñarrubia, which together will receive almost 3.5 million for the efficient and intelligent lighting installation.
The municipalities eligible for this aid must have a population of up to 5,000 inhabitants or in non-urban municipalities, scattered in nuclei of that population size, up to 20,000 inhabitants. The DUS 5,000 program has twice expanded its budget due to the enormous interest of the municipal fabric.
After this budget increase, from 325 to 675 million euros, another 10 municipalities in Cantabria have presented projects that are currently under review by the Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving (IDEA), an entity dependent on MITECO.
One of those 10 municipalities is Penagos, municipality that visited this Friday the delegate of the Government in Cantabria, Ainoa Quiñones, to meet with the mayor, José Carlos Lavín, and inform him that from MITECO “they have informed us that they will soon respond to the financing of these projects presented after the budget extension”.
In addition to Penagos, Quiñones has detailed that they have presented projects under evaluation by the municipalities of Reocín, Rionansa, Campoo de En medio, Las Rozas de Valdearroyo, Mazcuerras, Los Tojos, Ruente, Riotuerto and San Roque de Riomiera. Together, these municipalities can also receive aid amounting to more than 3.5 million euros.
The mayor of Penagos pointed out that this is a "very important" project for the municipality with which not only will the lighting be improved but also will allow a "significant saving" in the electricity bill.