Enercoop
| Company type | Cooperative |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric utility, Renewable energy |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Greenpeace, La Nef, Friends of the Earth |
| Headquarters | France |
Area served | France |
| Products | Renewable electricity generation and distribution |
| Website | www |
Enercoop stands as a French cooperative electric utility dedicated solely to the generation and distribution of renewable energy. It holds the distinction of being the sole electric utility cooperative operating within France. Its founding partners include notable organizations such as Greenpeace, the cooperative financial institution La Nef, and the environmental group Friends of the Earth. By the middle of 2014, Enercoop had expanded its service to a significant number of clients.
History
Established in 2005, Enercoop initially focused on providing electricity exclusively to businesses, reflecting the restrictions of France's then-unliberalized electricity market. The liberalization that took place in 2007 allowed it to broaden its customer base beyond corporate clients. After the 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident, Enercoop experienced a notable surge in customers, growing from its 2009 figures to a much larger client count by late 2011. By 2014, the cooperative had reached an even higher number of subscribers, and by 2021, its customer base had continued to expand.
Objectives
Enercoop’s strategic goal is to develop numerous regional cooperatives throughout France, enabling local stakeholders to oversee every phase from energy generation to consumption. This decentralized approach encourages active citizen engagement in energy management. As of 2014, six such regional cooperatives were operational under this framework.
The cooperative’s bylaws mandate that a minimum of 57% of its earnings be reinvested directly into electricity production facilities. The remainder of the profits can either be reinvested or allocated as returns to investors.