June 2026 - MinoanEnergy

CRETE VALLEY at the Student Festival of the Municipality of Minoa Pediada

20 June 2026 minoanenergy

Energy and good practices in its management, as applied in the innovative #CRETEVALLEY project, were in the spotlight during the seventh day of the Student Festival of the Municipality of Minoa Pediada.

In the packed hall of the Arkalohori Conference Centre, the students of the Municipality’s schools unfolded their humour, creativity and rich talent through a series of artistic performances that included painting, video production, music, singing and shadow theatre. The common thread in all of them was the energy produced from the endless resources of our land — the sun, the wind and biomass — and how this energy can be utilised by the local community.

A special impression was made by the appearance of Karagiozis… the energy‑autonomous one, who, with his folk wisdom and instinct, conveyed the message of the event in the best possible way: that a just energy transition, grounded in environmental, economic and social sustainability, requires broad participation, shapes the future and concerns us all.

Warm thanks to our friend, Alexis Chatzibiros, from the Samsø Energy Academy in Denmark, who travelled for two days from the island of Samsø to be in Arkalohori for just two hours and speak to us about the remarkable achievement of this island of 4,000 inhabitants — a global example of energy sustainability, having become 100% energy independent in less than five years thanks to the community’s embrace of renewable energy sources.

The event was preceded by a presentation from Minoan Energy member Antonis Kozyrakis on broad‑based energy communities, their philosophy and their benefits for local societies, with an emphasis on the #CRETEVALLEY project as a good example of how communities can collaborate and achieve energy autonomy by harnessing their local energy resources.

The event was coordinated by Katerina Paroutsidakis, whom we warmly thank.

Warm thanks and many congratulations are also due to all contributors to the event — the students, the teachers, and the shadow theatre artists Athos Danellis and Michalis Foinikianakis — who, with their talent and positive energy, made us all feel truly uplifted!

Watch a short excerpt from the Karagiozis performance here: https://youtube.com/shorts/5jT4nzEvWOo

Crete Valley Events Events

Thank‑you message for the events marking the Energy Communities Day and the groundbreaking of the District Heating Project

8 June 2026 minoanenergy

Minoan Energy Community and the Greek Energy Communities’ Coalition express their warmest thanks to all those who honoured with their presence the events of 7 June 2026 in Arkalohori.

The strong participation of citizens, representatives of the State, Local Government, social and productive bodies, Energy Communities and the media exceeded all expectations and sent a powerful message in favour of energy democracy, social cohesion and sustainable development.

We especially thank the Government, the political parties, the Region of Crete, the Municipalities, the Members of Parliament, the institutional representatives, as well as all partners and volunteers who contributed to the success of the events.

We extend a particularly heartfelt “thank you” to our partners from the Decision Support Systems Laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens, because without their decisive contribution within the framework of the CreteValley project, the creation of this valuable work would not have been possible.

The official groundbreaking of the district heating project, as the first component of the Green Circular Economy Hub of Arkalohori, and the celebration of the 2026 Energy Communities Day demonstrated that when citizens, local societies and Local Government work together, they can create projects with substantial social, environmental and developmental impact.

Arkalohori proved that it can take a leading role in the new energy era, transforming difficulties into opportunities and local challenges into innovative solutions that benefit everyone.

Your trust and support give us strength, but also a responsibility to continue even more dynamically.

We continue together.
🔸 For greater energy democracy.
🔸 For stronger local communities.
🔸 For a sustainable energy future that belongs to the citizens.

Minoan Energy Community
Greek Energy Communities’ Coalition

Crete Valley Events Events

Speech by the President of Minoan Energy at the Foundation Ceremony of the District Heating Project in Arkalohori

7 June 2026 minoanenergy

Honourable Secretary General,
representative of the President of Parliament, Regional Governor, Members of Parliament, Mayors, President of Greek Energy Communities’ Coalition, … dear friends,

Today is a particularly important day for Arkalohori and for Minoan Energy.

We are here to lay the foundation stone of the district heating project, the first component of the Green Circular Economy Hub of Arkalohori.

A project born from a simple but powerful idea:
to transform what we have until now considered a problem into a source of energy, development, and social prosperity.

Agricultural residues, prunings, biomass, and organic materials from our region now acquire value and return to society as affordable heat, clean energy, income, and new opportunities.

Often, when we speak about a project, we refer to its cost.

Today, however, it is worth speaking about its benefit.

If only 1,000 families in Arkalohori save on average 1,000 euros per year on their heating, then approximately 1 million euros remain in the local economy every year.

Over the lifetime of the project, this benefit may exceed 50 million euros.

And this without counting the additional benefits.

The new jobs that will be created.

The income that will remain with farmers and professionals in the area.

The reduction of energy expenses for municipalities and municipal infrastructure.

The use of local raw materials instead of imported fuels.

The protection of the environment.

The strengthening of the country’s energy security.

And above all, the confidence gained by a local society when it realizes that it can produce on its own a significant part of the energy it needs.

For Arkalohori, which was tested so harshly by the earthquake, this project also carries a special symbolism.

It proves that reconstruction is not only about restoring damage.

It is about creating a better future.

A future that is more resilient, more just, more sustainable.

I would like to warmly thank the State, the Region, the Municipalities, our partners, and all those who contributed to reaching this day.

And I express the hope that today’s foundation ceremony is only the beginning.

The beginning of a project that can become a model not only for Crete, but for the entire country.

Today we are not simply laying the foundation of a building.

We are laying the foundation of a new development model, where energy, the economy, the environment, and society operate in a virtuous cycle for the benefit of all.

Thank you.
Charalampos Giannopoulos