ManagEnergy Expert Mission #17: Enhancing La Réunion’s Regional Energy Observatory

In the framework of the 17th ManagEnergy Expert Mission, Pierrick Yalamas—Deputy Director, Head of Territorial Intelligence and Observatories at AURA-EE—visited Réunion Island to support Energies Réunion in redefining the strategic role of its Regional Energy Observatory (Observatoire Énergie Réunion – OER).

Held on 23–24 April 2025, the two-day mission focused on expanding the Observatory’s capacity to guide local energy transition efforts through improved tools, services, and multi-stakeholder collaboration.

A Trusted Tool, Ready to Evolve

The Observatoire Énergie Réunion has, for several years, provided high-quality data on energy consumption and production to public authorities across the island. However, as Réunion’s energy transition becomes more complex and urgent, the Observatory must evolve to better support decision-making and policy design.

Throughout the first day, the host team and expert delved into strategic exchanges around the structure, long-term financing, and service offering of the platform. Discussions focused on the legal and financial set-up, as well as the opportunity to integrate innovative tools such as TerriSTORY®, a decision-aid platform developed by AURA-EE and currently co-deployed across six French regions.

The conclusion was clear: by coupling energy data with other territorial indicators (e.g., land use, network infrastructure), the Observatory could deliver valuable new services to support local authorities in building their energy and climate strategies.

Collective Reflection to Drive Progress

The second day of the mission brought together 15 local actors involved in the governance of the Observatory. Through interactive workshops and open discussion, participants explored their needs, challenges, and expectations for the Observatory’s future development.

The session included a live introduction to TerriSTORY®, allowing stakeholders to explore its functionalities and discuss how such a tool could be adapted to Réunion’s context. Ideas for future collaboration and better coordination between observatories on the island also emerged.

“The ManagEnergy Expert Mission brought the fertile ground for productive collaborative work and rich sharing of experience from Pierrick from AURA-EE. This was the opportunity to bring the expectations and needs from local stakeholders at the heart of the thinking about the future content and operation of our regional Energy Observatory.”
— Wendy Vergoz, Réunion Energy Observatory Project Officer

A Step Forward for Energies Réunion

The mission marked an important milestone for Energies Réunion, providing inspiration and practical insights on how to strengthen the Observatory’s support to local energy and climate planning.

“Discussing with Pierrick from AURA-EE brought a very refreshing look at our agency activities, allowing the reflection on the future activities related to energy data, observation and monitoring of the policy instruments.”
— Romain Hamet, EU Projects Manager, Energies Réunion

Looking Ahead

With this Expert Mission, Réunion has taken a step forward in boosting the capacity, visibility, and impact of its Regional Energy Observatory. By embracing collaborative dynamics and decision-support tools, the island is laying the foundation for more data-driven and inclusive energy transition planning.

Find out more about ManagEnergy Expert Missions