Support for small innovative low-carbon projects

Call for support for small-scale innovative low-carbon projects  

Total capital expenditures per project: below €7.5M (€2.5M - €7.5M) 

Up to 60% of total capital expenditures

Max grant = 60% of €7.5M = €4.5M 

Min grant = 60% of €2.5M = €1.5M  

• up to 40% at financial close, not-depending on verified emissions avoidance
• 60% dependent on delivery of GHG emission avoidance

• Degree of innovation (double weight) 
• Project maturity (double weight) 
• Scalability and cost efficiency

Award criteria 

• Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emission avoidance potential (absolute and relative GHG emission avoidance) 
• Degree of innovation  
• Project maturity (implementation and financial maturity) 
• Scalability 
• Cost efficiency  

Selection procedure: 

List of pre-selected projects to be consulted with Member States:  

• → award of PDA or 
• → award of project grant 

• Support small-scale projects demonstrating highly innovative technologies, processes or products, that are sufficiently mature and have a significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; 

Activities that can be funded 

• Activities that support innovation in low-carbon technologies and processes in sectors listed in Annex I to the ETS Directive, including environmentally-safe carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) that contributes substantially to mitigating climate change, as well as substitute products; 
• Activities that help stimulate the construction and operation of projects that aim at the environmentally-safe capture and geological storage of CO2 (CCS); 
• Activities that help stimulate the construction and operation of innovative renewable energy and energy storage technologies; 

This is done through projects focusing on:

• innovative low-carbon technologies and processes in energy-intensive industries, including products substituting carbon-intensive ones
• carbon capture and utilisation (CCU)
• construction and operation of carbon capture and storage (CCS)
• innovative renewable energy generation
• energy storage.

Minimum number of applicants is one and must be: 

• legal person and 
• belong to one of the following categories: private entity, public entity or international organization.

Natural persons and EU bodies are not eligible. 

Opening of the tender: 1 December 2020.

Deadline for submission of applications: 10. March 2021
 
Decision: August 2021

The fund will act as a private investor - it supports the idea, which will eventually be sold to the client (the client can participate in the preparation of the application) - the sale of new technology to the first buyer.

Call objectives: 

• to offer financial support tailored to markets needs and risk profiles of eligible projects, while attracting additional public and private investors; 
• to complement the large-scale by targeting smaller-scale projects, thereby offering another opportunity, in particular for small and medium-size companies to have their projects supported;