Companies are not interested in obtaining energy efficiency funds, and there is a lack of projects in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).
“On the energy efficiency axis in the NRRP, additional information would probably have been needed because the level of submissions is clearly lower than the financing offer. We have 60 million with an overfinancing that will go up to 80 million euros and for the first session of submissions extended once, now relaunched, with changes, there are only 16 projects”, said Matei Dimitriu, counselor in the Energy Efficiency Directorate within the Ministry of Energy, at the conference “Digitalization and energy efficiency – Timișoara”, organized by Energynomics.
For each such project, a maximum of 1.2 million euros is allocated, but the quality of the projects “is not exceptional”. The Ministry of Energy is currently in the evaluation phase of these projects, and for half of them there are “doubts that they will pass the clarification phase”.
“There is financing, but the project must have a certain maturity and you must somehow identify with the industry”, stated Dimitriu.
In addition to these funds, the Modernization Fund that will enter into force this year will add several hundred million euros to the amounts already existing and available for use in energy efficiency projects.
In addition, there are two other tools that the Ministry of Energy is currently working on. One is the National Energy Efficiency Investment Fund. “This could unlock certain elements that could make it count, for example, some projects that are not totally bankable. It’s under debate at the moment,” said Dimitriu.
Another second project under debate is the contract with ESCO-type companies, “which could become very interesting” in this context where energy is very expensive and which could facilitate the replacement of old equipment with new ones.
The conference “Digitalization and energy efficiency – Timișoara” was organised by Energynomics with the support of our partners BCR, Finder, Lapp România, REI Group, Volt.