La Rioja approves the plan to decarbonize public buildings by 2027

The Government of La Rioja approved in its meeting on October 13, 2026, the Plan for the energy transition of public administration buildings of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja, an instrument that mandates the decarbonization of regional Administration properties and extends the framework to local entities that adhere to it. The agreement is published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja (Boletín Oficial de La Rioja) no. 203, of October 21, 2026, through Resolution 1619/2026, of October 19, of the Technical General Secretariat of Finance, Public Governance, Digital Society and Government Spokespersonship (reference BOR-A-20261021-III–3988). The text occupies pages 17616 to 17632 of section III, Other Provisions and Acts, with the identifier III.3988 and file number 202610190125089.

The plan originates from the Department of Finance, Public Governance, Digital Society and Government Spokespersonship and bears the signature of its technical general secretary, Víctor Manuel Garrido Cano. Its reference framework is Directive (EU) 2023/1791, of September 13, 2023, which mandates the renovation of at least 3% of the total floor area of heated or cooled buildings owned by public bodies each year, with the goal of converting them into nearly zero-energy or zero-emission buildings. The European regulation adds an annual reduction of 1.9% in final energy consumption for all public bodies compared to 2021, an objective that remains indicative until October 11, 2027, and Directive (EU) 2024/1275 sets the total decarbonization of the real estate portfolio by 2050.

Validity until September 2027 and scope of application

The plan will be in effect from its approval until September 30, 2027, a deadline that coincides with the duration of the agreement with the European Investment Bank for the Atenea Project, which has been extended by one year without prejudice to a possible further extension.

The subjective scope includes the General Administration of the Government of La Rioja and all entities of its institutional public sector defined in Article 2 of Law 3/2003, of March 3, that participate in the management or execution of European funds. The following may also adhere:

• Consortia with participation from the Riojan Government that are not part of its public sector.
• Local entities of La Rioja, subject to an agreement by their plenary body.
• The University of La Rioja.

Adhesion is communicated through the Directorate General of Funds and Relations with the European Union, according to the model in Annex I.

Three axes: efficiency, renewables, and technical office

The plan is structured around three lines of action. Axis 1 covers the improvement of energy efficiency: thermal insulation, HVAC, interior lighting, remote measurement systems, electric vehicle charging points, renovation of public lighting, the appointment of an energy manager per building, and the inventory of properties. Axis 2 focuses on the installation of renewable energy in public buildings. Axis 3, which is transversal, is the Project Development Service, which provides energy audits, preliminary projects, legal advice for tenders, and support in fundraising.

Investments will be prioritized when they achieve at least a 30% saving of non-renewable primary energy in the building, according to audits or similar studies, and the replacement of systems based on fossil fuels will be valued. Annex II mandates the incorporation of energy criteria in all construction projects and preliminary designs, and the differentiation of energy efficiency items to account for compliance with the Directive.

European funding and investment schedule

The Project Development Service is funded by the ELENA Facility of the European Investment Bank, within the framework of contract ELENA-2020-182, signed on September 27, 2023, and in effect since October 1, 2023. Eligible costs are estimated at 1,630,000 euros, with a maximum reimbursement of 90% by the bank, up to 1,467,000 euros, and a minimum co-financing of 10% borne by the Government of La Rioja.

The investment program must reach at least 20 times the funding provided by the bank by the end of the action, the so-called leverage factor. The monitoring schedule sets these figures for executed investment:

• September 2024: 0 euros.
• September 2025: 10,000,000 euros.
• September 2026: 33,000,000 euros.
• September 2027: 39,000,000 euros.

Works may be financed by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, the ERDF La Rioja 21-27 Program —with a 60% contribution—, the National Energy Efficiency Fund of the IDAE, or own resources, with an express prohibition of double funding.

Governance and monitoring indicators

Political direction corresponds to the Governing Council. Below it are the Management Committee, composed of the Minister of Finance, the technical general secretaries of the departments, and the general director of Funds, and the Technical Commission, with three representatives from Finance, one from each department, and one from the Instituto de la Vivienda de La Rioja, S.A.

Monitoring will be carried out using indicators of executed expenditure, number of adhering entities, square meters rehabilitated, tons of CO2 equivalent avoided per year, megawatts of new renewable capacity, and megawatt hours produced. Added to these are two binary compliance objectives: a centralized and mandatory inventory of public buildings and the issuance and display of the energy efficiency certificate and label in all properties within the community.

The plan makes energy efficiency a mandatory criterion for contracting and project drafting for the entire Riojan Administration, such that every public work must justify its savings and its climate contribution. For city councils, it also means free access to audits and preliminary projects that until now they had to fund on their own, although adherence does not grant them the right to dispose of the service’s resources.

Source: Official Gazette of La Rioja, no. 203, of October 21, 2026, section III (Other Provisions and Acts), pp. 17616-17632 (official reference: BOR-A-20261021-III–3988).