ÇİNE MUNICIPALITY
Project Activity Date: 17/21 June 2024
Location: THE STUDY VISIT TO TAURAGE
Time: 17/21 June 2024
TOGETHER WITH THE MUNICIPALITY OF KARLOVAC, ÇİNE MUNICIPALITY PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY VISIT TO TAURAGE, LITHUANIA TO SEE GOOD PRACTICE EXPERIENCES ON SITE.
Within the scope of the “We Join Forces for the Green Future” Project, which we are implementing within the scope of the Town Twinning-II (For a Green Future) Grant Scheme between Turkey and the EU, study visits were planned in order to see good practice experiences on combating climate change and environment on site, to be informed and to develop capacity.
The second of these, the Lithuania Taurage Study Visit, was carried out on 17/21 June 2024 in Lithuania and in Vilnius and Taurage. In our project, firstly, as a state tradition, our Embassy in Vilnius was visited and information about our project was given and information about Turkey-Lithuania Relations was received. Afterwards, a visit was made to Vilnius Municipality, which was selected as the European Green Capital for 2025. Information was received from Mr. Anton Nikitin, Sustainability Expert, about the reasons for the selection of Vilnius as the European Green Capital, sustainability goals, and examples of good practices as a green city. The second day’s visit in Vilnius was to the Lithuanian Energy Agency. Led by Mrs.Agnė Bagočiutė, Director of the Lithuanian Energy Agency, a team of 10 people told us about Lithuania’s energy policies. They talked about the transformation of the Lithuanian energy sector, the energy efficiency improvement measures implemented, the energy innovation system as well as the development of renewable energy sources and project financing. They talked about the diversity of renewable energy sources, especially onshore and offshore wind power plants, the fact that solar energy systems are being deployed in all regions of Lithuania despite the low number of sunny days, thus balancing the energy balance, energy supply, security and energy independence.
Afterwards, during our visit to Taurage Municipality, we were welcomed by the mayor’s office, a PSC meeting was held with the project partners and presentations were made about climate change and environment, projects related to energy efficiency in buildings, electric vehicles and charging stations, central heating system, sustainable transportation, reasons for being selected as a net zero mission city, renewable energies. Taurage Municipality electric vehicles and electric charging stations were visited on site. We visited the multifunctional wastewater treatment plant, where we saw that wastewater sludge was used as fertilizer, biogas and asphalt material.It was producing its own energy with biogas.At the same time, we visited the Taurage central heating plant and received information. Here, the heating system was made by using biomass energy. Afterwards, we visited Europe’s largest wind farm. First of all, we received theoretical information from the Ignitis group about how wind power plan s are built on land and on the sea, how energy is produced. We formed 2 table groups and did a mini workshop on windmills. Afterwards, we had the chance to see how a wind turbine works by traveling to the top of the machine room with virtual reality visions.
Then we went to the field and saw the wind farm closely, got information and made wind measurements. We had a different and beautiful experience. We visited the Pagramantis Natural Habitat, one of the climate adaptation projects made with EU funding. We visited the stem center school with solar panels on the roof, which was also made with EU funding to see how they invest in technology and how they educate young people, and we visited a school that uses energy efficient and renewable energy. Afterwards, we informed the EU Commission Representative in Vilnius, Lithuania about our project and talked about EU projects.
