Introduction

The Municipality of Mazaricos is located in the Xallas region, in the eastern part of the province of A Coruña.

It has a population of 3,760 inhabitants in 2022 and covers an area of 187 square kilometres, presenting a degree of urbanisation of sparsely populated area, according to the Galician Institute of Statistics.

It is part of the Costa da Morte Rural Development Group (GDR22).

Socio-economic information

Population and demographic structure

The population of Mazaricos presents a demographic dynamic characterised by a decrease registered between 1991 and 2022, which implied a loss of 46%, a remarkable figure, superior to the decrease of 1.5% registered in Galicia in the same period and, on the contrary, in A Coruña a growth of 2% of the population was registered.

The Total Dependency Ratio (TDR) in Mazaricos reached 80% in 2022, far from the 60% of the Galician and provincial index. The demographic pyramid reflects a narrowing of the base of the population pyramid and a widening of the top compared to the Galician pyramid. The average age has also increased, reaching 54 years.

Population dynamics in Mazaricos.

Evolution of the total dependency ratio of Mazaricos, A Coruña and Galicia.

Economy

The evolution of the Gross Disposable Product (GDP) shows a particular pattern of growth, with periods of strong growth and periods of slight decline. For the whole period from 2010 to 2020, it showed a growth of almost 11%, in contrast to the reduction in total GDP suffered by Galicia as a whole (-2%) and A Coruña (-0.26%). As a result of the pandemic, GDP fell by -7.3% in Mazaricos, -10.5% in A Coruña and -7.7% in Galicia.

The Gross Disposable Income (GDI) per inhabitant in Mazaricos reflects a growth pattern similar to that observed in Galicia as a whole and in the province, with an average annual growth rate of 0.5%. Between 2002 and 2019, the increase was 12%, bringing the per capita GDP in Mazaricos to 12,800 euros, around 3,800 euros less than the Galician average.

If the register of social security affiliations is used as an estimate of municipal employment, a decrease of -18% of affiliations in the primary sector in the municipality is noted, a reduction very close to that experienced jointly by the Galician and provincial groups with -20%. The secondary sector presents a very important increase in the number of affiliates, 19%, while the territorial groupings of Galicia and A Coruña lose 3% and 4% respectively. The tertiary sector gains weight in the municipality with an increase in the number of affiliates close to 7%, but less than the increase of 14-15% in two territorial groups.

The productive structure of Mazaricos is marked by a primary sector that drives the local economy, with a highly relevant farming sector. The production of milk and meat places the municipality as the leader of the fourth province of Galicia in production volume, contributing greatly to the reduction of employment. Thus, in 2022, the agri-food sector of Mazaricos will represent around 34% of the affiliations of the municipality, a proportion much higher than two territorial groups, which are around 5%. The secondary sector represents 25% of the affiliations, added to the representation registered in the Galician provincial level. The tertiary sector agglutinates 43% of the affiliations of the territory, a proportion much lower than the Galician and provincial group, which is around 70%.

In 2022, Mazaricos has an activity rate of 72%, compared to 55-58% in 2011. The employment rate of Mazaricos starts at 49% in 2011 and grows to 68% in 2022. The unemployment rate fell by 8% to 18.5% in 2011.

Evolution of Gross Disposable Income per inhabitant in Mazaricos, A Coruña and Galicia.

Evolution of employment, unemployment, and activity rates in the municipality of Mazaricos.

Energy resources

Mazaricos stands out for its production of energy from renewable sources, derived from windmills and hydroelectric power. In the wind energy sector, it has an installed capacity of 98 MW, distributed in 123 wind turbines, with an estimated production of 253,583 MW per year. It also has a hydraulic capacity of 1.4 MW.

The electricity consumption of Mazaricos in 2023 will be 14,125.57 MWh. 5,968.29 MWh were consumed by households. The consumption of services, including municipal services, was 2,251 MWh. Industry consumed 1,950.41 MWh. It should be noted that 3,955.87 MWh are not specified.

Energy Policy Councils

Energy Policy Councils

Date of the first meeting:
6th May 2024

Number of participants:
30 people

Profile of participants:

  • Staff of the municipality of Mazaricos: local development agent
  • EC4RURAL project staff: UVIGO, ESPAZOCOOP
  • Citizens, livestock holdings, technicians in the energy sector

Evaluation of the energy situation

The municipality of Mazaricos stands out for its significant production of energy from renewable sources, mainly from wind and hydroelectric power. In the wind sector, it has an installed capacity of 98 MW, distributed in 123 wind turbines, with an estimated annual production of 253,583 MWh. On the other hand, it has a hydroelectric capacity of 1.4 MW.

Dialogue between the parties

During the meeting, there was an open dialogue between the citizens and the municipality about photovoltaic energy production. The spatio-temporal distribution of the photovoltaic panels, the production model with energy surplus, the system of compensation and sale of energy surplus, the system of distribution between partners, the advantages and challenges of promoting an energy community under the photovoltaic production model, the governance and management model of the energy community.

Conclusions

After the joint co-creative process, the first contact with the neighbourhood and local authorities have been positive. There is a real interest in the development of the rural energy community as they think about joint action and the benefits of making it happen.

The municipality has an enormous area of available roofs due to the number of existing livestock buildings. Mazaricos is the Galician municipality with the highest milk production.

As a final conclusion of this meeting, the Energy Policy Council has been created.