Hydro-electricity pipelines – Photo by Christian Bass on Unsplash
(BRUSSELS) – The EU Commission allocated nearly EUR 600 million Thursday to energy infrastructure projects which contribute to Europe’s energy security, decarbonisation and greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.
EUR 594 million is awarded under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), to eight cross-border energy infrastructure projects granted ‘Projects of Common Interest’ status in 2022.
Projects receiving funding include several carbon dioxide (CO2) projects such as EUR 189 million to D’Artagnan, a CO2 export platform in the port of Dunkirk in France; EUR 157 million for CO2 infrastructure in the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands – including both an import terminal and 200 km of underwater pipeline; and EUR 2.54 million for the EU CCS Interconnector, a CO2 infrastructure project in Gdansk, in Poland.
The Northern Lights initiative, a cross-border project linking CO2 capture initiatives in several EU member states and Norway, received EUR 131 million. These projects support establishment of a European carbon value chain, part of a new industrial carbon management strategy contributing to achieving EU climate objectives.
In addition, funding of EUR 100 million is being provided to the ‘Gabreta smart grid project’ located between Czechia and Germany, and the project aimed at strengthening the Lonny-Achêne-Gramme electricity interconnection between France and Belgium.
EUR 1.22m funding has been allocated top research strudies. And EUR 12.77m granted to the Depomures natural gas storage facility in Romania with a view to increasing its operating capacity and so contributing to security of supply in the region.
The revised regulation introduces a general exclusion of fossil fuel financing. The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) will now prepare grant agreements with beneficiaries.
European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
