Economic operators (companies and autonomous regies) in Romania that carry out activities on the national territory in the steel, cement, oil and natural gas, energy production, but also in other highly polluting industries, can access a new program worth 150 million euros, from the Modernization Fund, dedicated to investments in energy efficiency, informs the Ministry of Energy.
According to the cited source, the call for projects is part of Key Program 7: Energy efficiency in industrial installations included in the EU-ETS – Support for the purchase and use of CO2 capture, transport, storage and use installations – CCS/CCU and for the BAT-level modernization of installations included in the EU-ETS in the steel, cement, oil and natural gas, energy production and other highly polluting industries, according to Agerpres.
“I reaffirm our firm commitment to supporting the transition to a safe, competitive and clean economy. In this regard, we attach particular importance to increasing energy efficiency in industrial installations, an essential pillar for achieving climate goals and reducing operational costs, and we are considering facilitating access to financing dedicated to the acquisition and use of CO2 capture, transport, storage and utilisation installations, as we consider these technologies crucial for the decarbonisation of heavy industrial sectors and we are determined to support their implementation. We also support the BAT-level modernisation of installations included in the EU-ETS in the steel, cement, oil and gas, power generation and other heavily polluting industries. Investments in state-of-the-art technologies are essential for reducing emissions and improving industrial performance (…)”, declared, in the cited press release, the Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja.
The Applicant Guide is developed by the Ministry of Energy for applicants who wish to obtain financing from the funds allocated to Romania through the Modernization Fund (MF) and come with investment projects in industries that use installations that fall under the scope of the GHG emission trading scheme (EU-ETS), with a direct impact on the energy efficiency of technological processes and the achievement of considerable energy savings and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
“The investments financed under this measure will have a positive impact in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) resulting from energy savings achieved as a result of the implementation of the investment by the beneficiaries (equivalent tons of CO2/year), as well as reducing energy consumption (electricity and heat, energy resources) resulting from energy savings achieved as a result of the implementation of the investment by the beneficiaries (MWh). Through this financing program, the Ministry of Energy provides support for the implementation of the best technologies (BAT) in enterprises participating in the EU-ETS, for energy efficiency measures,” notes the relevant ministry.
The new program is addressed to economic operators (such as companies and autonomous regies) that meet the following conditions: they are entities with legal personality, registered in Romania or in an EU member state, respecting the condition of registration with ONRC; carry out industrial activities on the territory of Romania in the areas provided for in Annex I to Directive 2003/87/EC on the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme (EU-ETS) (among these are the steel, cement, oil and natural gas, energy production and other heavily polluting industries); provide proof of participation in the EU-ETS scheme at the time of submitting the application for funding.
The maximum amount of state aid that can be granted through this call is up to 30 million euros/beneficiary/investment project, representing a maximum of 100% of the eligible costs provided for in Annex 4 of the guide.