Introduction
The municipality of Avión is located in the southwest of the province of Ourense, in the Ribeiro region, less than 50 kilometres from the provincial capital. It has a population of 1,770 and covers an area of 121 square kilometres. It has a degree of urbanisation of sparsely populated area, according to the Galician Institute of Statistics.
It is part of the Carballiño-Ribeiro Rural Development Group (GDR12).
Population and demographic structure
The population of Avión falls more than 1,700 between 1991 and 2022, a reduction of 50%. In the last ten years, the population has fallen by -26.5%, indicating a trend towards total depopulation and a territorial demographic imbalance.
Avión has an ageing population, with the number of people over 64 years of age falling by -37.6% and the number of people under 16 years of age falling by -22.5%.
The increase of the Total Dependency Ratio (TDR) in Avión reaches 127.8% in 2022 and its evolution is far from the provincial and regional values.
Population dynamics in Avión.
Evolution of the total dependency ratio of Avión, Ourense and Galicia.
Economy
The evolution of Gross Disposable Product (GDP) follows a similar dynamic to that of Ourense and Galicia. Between 2010 and 2016, GDP was stable, followed by a significant growth of 13.7% between 2016 and 2018. From 2018 to 2020 it fell by -20%, with a very significant drop compared to Galicia as a whole.
The Gross Disposable Income (GDI) shows an increase of 35% in Avión until 2008. It then fell until 2014, followed by a recovery of 31% until the autumn of 2020. During that year, the income per inhabitant was 11,860 euros.
Using the number of social security registrations as an estimate of municipal employment, between 2011 and 2022 Avión experienced a fall in the total number of registrations.
An analysis by sector shows that in 2022 the primary sector accounted for 5.6% of registrations, the secondary sector for 13.5% and the tertiary sector for 81%.
In 2022, Avión had an activity rate of 46%. The employment rate was 37% in 2022. The unemployment rate was 16%.
Evolution of Gross Disposable Income per inhabitant in Avión, Ourense and Galicia.
Evolution of employment, unemployment, and activity rates in the municipality of Avión.
Energy resources
Avión has considerable energy resources from renewable sources, in particular wind power with a total of 40 wind turbines and an installed capacity of 52 MWh. Avión has an estimated annual production of between 105,000 and 130,400 MWh. However, diversification of renewable energy sources is essential to strengthen the community’s energy resilience and maximise its economic potential. Developing other forms of renewable energy, such as solar, hydro or biomass, would not only help to reduce dependence on a single source, but could also create new economic and employment opportunities in the area.
In 2023, the estimated electricity consumption of Avión was 4,600.50 MWh. Household consumption was 3,317.35 MWh. Utilities, including municipal services, consumed 1,214.27 MWh. Industry consumed 68.88 MWh.
Energy Policy Councils
Date of the first meeting:
5th April 2024
Number of participants:
8 people
Profile of participants:
- Staff of the municipality of Avión: mayor and work councillor
- EC4RURAL project staff: UVIGO, ESPAZOCOOP, FEGAMP
- Citizens
Evaluation of the energy situation
Currently, the municipality has a significant renewable energy resource, particularly wind energy. With a total of 40 wind turbines and an installed capacity of 52 MW, Avión has an estimated annual production of between 105,000 and 130,400 MWh. However, diversification of renewable energy sources is essential to strengthen the community’s energy resilience and maximise its economic potential. Developing other forms of renewable energy, such as solar, hydro or biomass, would not only help reduce dependence on a single source, but could also create new economic and employment opportunities in the area.
Dialogue between the parties
The mayor of Avión expressed interest in the development of an energy community, stating that the municipality would provide all available municipal resources. The participation of the local population was low, despite a strong dissemination effort. The management team will take the conclusions of this first meeting to all the municipalities. The mayor stated that they will develop a photovoltaic project at the Senior Citizens’ Centre and expressed his wish to discuss the possible use of this investment to create the Avión Energy Community.
During the meeting, there was an open dialogue between the citizens and the municipality about photovoltaic energy production. The option of joint production was expressed, as it would allow savings in investment and the management of production and consumption curves. There were several doubts about the specific conditions of the energy community, such as investments or energy distribution.
Conclusions
It is mentioned that there are difficulties in taking the community initiative forward. This was due to insufficient involvement of the municipality and lack of motivation without the participation of the municipality. As a result, the Energy Policy Council was not established.
