EMPOWER: energy sharing and energy communities

The EMPOWER project clarifies the role of Brussels municipalities in supporting and participating in energy sharing and energy community projects.

This European project, funded by External siteNetZeroCities, aims to help Brussels municipalities play a more active role in the development of energy sharing projects, in particular by giving them the means to support or participate in them.

EMPOWER hopes to make Brussels a pioneer in the field of sustainable energy transition. The project aims to reduce CO2 emissions, strengthen energy independence and improve the quality of life of Brussels public authorities and citizens, while providing an inspiring model for other European cities.

This project is supported by the City of Brussels, in collaboration with the municipalities of Schaerbeek and Ixelles, and the Energie Commune and Brupower organisations.

Energy sharing in Brussels

Since April 2022, the electricity regulation has given consumers in the Brussels-Capital Region a new right, namely the right to share electricity. This law also introduces a new player to the energy market: energy communities.

Currently, various actors are participating in energy sharing and energy community projects (citizens, ACP, SMEs,...). See the figures on energy sharing in the Brussels-Capital Region:

External siteBrugel - New statistics on energy sharing in Brussels (in French)

Despite the willingness of local authorities to support the development of energy sharing and energy community projects, Brussels municipalities are struggling to know how to fully commit to this approach. A External sitepreliminary inventory and additional studies show that municipalities in Brussels face numerous obstacles to promoting energy sharing and energy communities among citizens, and even more so when they want to actively participate in them, as consumers or producers.

The main obstacles for municipalities are the lack of knowledge about the procedures for launching such initiatives, in order to respect the equal treatment of economic actors and prevent distortion of competition.

During the project, legal advice will be sought to clarify all procedures and questions and to provide standard legal documents.

Pilot projects

Through 3 pilot projects in the municipalities of Brussels, Schaerbeek and Ixelles, the consortium partners aim to develop innovative ways to overcome the various barriers, particularly at the procedural, institutional and socio-economic levels.

At the end of the project, in August 2026, the EMPOWER consortium aims to compile a toolkit for all municipalities in the Brussels-Capital Region to facilitate the involvement of local authorities in supporting and participating in energy sharing and energy communities.