Call for energy network infrastructure projects under Connecting Europe Facility
On 5 March, the Commission opened the call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) to help finance key trans-European energy infrastructure projects. A dedicated fund of €100 million was made available for projects aimed at eliminating energy bottlenecks and completing a fully interconnected energy market. With a total of €650 million for grants foreseen in 2015 by the Juncker-Commission, this is the first of two calls planned for 2015 which follow the Energy Union strategy adopted on 25 February 2015.
The Connecting Europe Facility was set up for the period 2014-2020 to provide the EU financial assistance to projects of common interest in a number of sectors, including energy infrastructure.
In the energy sector, CEF will, in particular, support projects in electricity and gas in order to achieve the following objectives:
increasing competitiveness by promoting further integration of the internal energy market and the interoperability of electricity and gas networks across borders;
enhancing Union’s security of energy supply;
contributing to sustainable development and protection of the environment - through the integration of energy from renewable sources and the development of smart energy networks.
To apply for a grant, a project has to be on the list of 'Projects of Common Interest' adopted by the European Commission which contains 248 projects, a majority of which are electricity and gas transmission lines. The list will be updated every two years and the next update is foreseen for the end of 2015. In most cases EU support cannot exceed 50% of the eligible costs for studies and works, but this cap may be exceeded up to 75% in exceptional circumstances, where a project provides a high degree of regional or Union-wide security of supply, strengthen the solidarity of the Union or comprise highly innovative solutions.
Source: European Commission
The deadline for applications is 29 April 2015. A decision on the selection of pro to be funded is expected for mid-July.
More information at: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-4560_en.htm
